Death is the beginning
by Der Unsterbliche
Summary: My other fic is better. Might rewrite this at some point.
1. Alive

A/N: As a recent member of the Life is Strange fandom, I wanted to try my hand at a fan-fiction. The following fan-fiction takes place after the events of episode 5, after Max decides to go into the butterfly picture and start over in attempt to cheat fate once again. Also, this is the first fan-fiction/story my 18 year old male self has EVER written ( just wanted to give you an idea of who I am), so it's probably flawed in some way or another. Criticisms are welcomed, no matter how harsh. Copyright infringement unintended. I do not own any of the following content. This fan-fiction alternates between Chloe and Max's points of view. This was largely an experiment on my part, to see if I could even write a fan-fiction. To be honest, I'm not too confident in it, but I'll let you be the judge.

* * *

Chapter 1: Alive

CHLOE:

Never would I have thought in a million years, that my life would've gone in the direction it was headed. I had lost everything near and dear to me, William...Max...Rachel...

...My innocence...slowly torn from me like a band-aid, leaving fresh wounds exposed to the pathogenic environment I now lived in.

To top it all off, I was now a victim of a likely sexual assault. I say likely because I'm not entirely sure what he did to me.

Nathan Prescott, that name lit a seething bonfire of hatred within me. I clenched my teeth as I thought of him.

I was going to make him pay for what he did.

Literally...I was demanding 'financial compensation' for the damages, at the very least $5,000.

I could use that money to finally get my ass out of Arcadia Bay, even if it were just me alone.

The end my cigarette glowed cherry red as I finished it, seated low in the truck seat.

My legs fell asleep, since the seat was so damn hard.

I flicked the cigarette out of the window, and it landed on the hood of another car. I sighed and pulled off my dark blue beanie, leaving it on top of the dashboard.

Slouching against the seat, I pinched the bridge of my nose with my eyes shut, readying myself as best as I could.

My hand grasped the handle and pushed the truck door open. It made an ugly squeaking noise as I stepped out onto the pavement. My foot brushed a crushed beer can that was near the clutch pedal, and it tumbled out.

I ignored it and pulled up my distressed jeans, while I surveyed my surroundings and stretched out my legs. I made my way over to one of the many doors that dotted Blackwell's exterior.

I stopped in front of it for a second and examined it; a roll of newspaper was tucked in between it and the door frame.

'Good, he left it open."

Invigorating cool air hit me as I stepped out of the warm weather.

But I got distracted by the bright fluorescent lighting, which never failed to give me an instant headache.

The main hall was hella crowded. I had to push my way past a few people, who probably caught a big whiff of cigarettes and beer as I did.

I received many stares as I walked, from boys and girls alike. From the girls, they were looks of disgust and disapproval. The opposite for the opposite sex, they went all googly-eyed over me.

I didn't know whether to feel flattered or disgusted.

Rounding one of many corners, the target bathroom came into view. 'Fucker better be in there,' I thought to myself. I reached for the handle, fingertips millimeters from touching, when a small hand grasped my shoulder from behind.

I jumped out of my skin; my shoulders recoiled, throwing the small hand off.

I spun around so fast that I wobbled, nearly losing my balance. It didn't help that I'd had a few beers.

She was just standing there— a few inches shorter than me, and it took me a second to recognize her.

Freckles dotted her face, and she was still rocking those bangs. I absolutely towered over her, she probably hadn't grown anymore than three inches since the last time I'd seen her.

I sobered up quick as I felt a knot form in my throat, "Holy shit, Max?"

She rubbed the back of her neck and spoke with a hushed voice. "Chloe, please don't go in there." I just stared at her, she appeared so sudden; my heart was still pounding.

I almost said, 'Where the hell did you come from?'

But Instead I uttered, "Huh? Why- why not?"

Max continued with the hushed voice, and now she had tensed up her body, "Look, I can't tell you here, not right now. You need to trust me."

My voice sounded pinched, probably a few notes higher than usual, "Max, I need to go in. Lady trouble," I put my hand over my uterus.

"You and I both know that's not what you're here for."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I reached for the handle again.

Max threw herself in between the door and me, "No!"

"W-why the fuck not?"

"You'll get hurt in there!" She wrapped her hands around my bare forearms; they felt frigid.

I ground my teeth, "What the hell is your problem?"

"Please, just come with me, Chloe. I'll explain everything," her eyes took on an almost puppy-like quality.

"Moooooove," I groaned, drawing the word out.

"Chloe, just listen to me, please."

Through clenched teeth I growled, "Get the fuck out of my way, Max." My eyes shot daggers.

Those blue eyes darted away from mine. Her voice was quieter as she began to beg, "Chloe, please don't do this."

I let out an impatient snort, "Let. Me. In."

Her eyes were beginning to well up; it kinda made me feel like an asshole, but I had won our argument...or whatever the hell this was.

My face was hot with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. I pried my forearms from her cold grip and grabbed her by the shoulders, making sure not to hurt her and pulled her out of the way.

Quite the crowd had gathered at this point, several spectators recorded the event on their cell phones. I saw a few camera flashes from some of those idiots out of the corners of my eyes. I flipped the bird at all of them and mouthed, 'Fuck you.'

I reached for the handle one last time. Before I could even touch it, the door flew open and Nathan darted out from the restroom, spooked. He ran into me on his way out, and I fell on my ass, letting out a humiliating whimper.

Max tried to extend a hand to me, but I stood back up again on my own. I heard a few snickers and gasps from our crowd of spectators, 'There goes $5,000.'

My mind raced and I began to hyperventilate, 'I have to get the fuck out of here.' I stormed off, leaving Max in the dust.

The hallway was dead silent, except for my footsteps and a pair of footsteps behind me.

My head throbbed with every pulse of my heart.

"Chloe!"

I shoved the heavy doors open with a grunt, receiving a blast of warmth as I stepped out into the sun, she still followed closely behind.

"Chloe, wait- I'm sorry!" her voice shook.

She followed me for a dozen-or-so more steps, and gave up, letting me go.

I yanked at the truck door, failing to grip it. I tried again, it slammed open this time; I threw myself into the truck. After a few moments of fiddling with the keys, the truck rumbled to life. As soon as it did, I was out of there.

I didn't look back, hopping a curb or two on my way out of the parking lot and driving much faster than what was probably legal or safe.

My face prickled with heat, eyes feeling like dams getting ready to burst, but I choked back the tears. I wasn't about to fucking cry.

I was distracted. Every other gear change was sloppy, grinding as I forced them in.

Then I ran a stop sign, nearly crashing into another car; I chilled out my driving after that.

I got to the junkyard not even ten minutes later, and parked the truck. I turned it off, but stayed inside of it. That hard seat wasn't doing my bruised ass any favors.

I pulled out my phone and called Nathan.

No answer.

I tried again, no answer.

I badly needed another smoke; I reached into my rear pocket and pulled out the crumpled box, I guess I'd landed right on it.

The cigarettes didn't fare very well, they were crumpled and smashed. I pulled out the least fucked up one, which was still bent to shit.

I fell asleep with a lit cigarette for the second time in my life now.

* * *

MAX:

They say that that fate doesn't care about your plans.

To that I say: fuck fate, no longer will I fall a prisoner to it.

As William Ernest Henley once wrote: I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.

I plopped myself down onto a rickety wooden bench, the ocean breeze blew the slightest aroma of sea salt into my nostrils. It had worked, Chloe was alive and I needed to keep her that way.

This was my second chance to make everything right again. Being up at the lighthouse with Chloe being pelted by stinging rain, still stood fresh in my mind.

'I'm going to make everything right, Chloe…for you...'

I needed to keep as many people alive as possible, so many lives were in my hands. I cringed at the thought of this.

But it was peaceful for once, the faint calls of distant birds filled the air, with the rumble of the ocean at the forefront of it all. Light winds caressed me, like gentle affectionate touches from an unseen entity.

I kicked my shoes off and placed them to my side, peeling off my socks; Then I buried my feet into the cool, damp sand. It reminded me that even though I had an extraordinary power, I was still just an 18 year old girl, as human as anybody else. After so much time spent...well, bending time, I'd neglected my own need to just relax every once in a while.

I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees and studied the vast Pacific Ocean ahead of me. Its immense power terrified me, even more so now that I had seen what it did/probably would do to Arcadia Bay. Maybe I had made a selfish choice, choosing to keep Chloe alive above anything else, but it wasn't about me.

It was about her.

I reasoned that my powers were to be used for one thing and one thing only: to keep as many people as I could alive and safe. But honestly, I didn't know and still don't. I vowed to never use them again, at least not to make massive changes. I was going to wing it, honestly. The less I used my powers, the less broken the timeline.

I must have been there for at least an hour, taking probably a dozen pictures with my Polaroid, I wasn't really counting. Many of these pictures consisted of shot of the sea, with the yellow sun hanging over the horizon. The time on my phone read:

4:03 P.M.

After that little episode today, I had decided to ditch school. If I stayed there, I probably would've been knee deep in shit the rest of the school day. Talk was probably spreading like wildfire; I could already imagine the likes of Victoria, spreading false rumors. I guess in her defense though, that display was pretty bizarro.

I decided to go find Chloe, "Man, she probably wants to rip my head off,' I frowned at this. My hands brushed away the majority of the sand from my feet, which had pruned slightly from the moisture. I pulled my socks back on, and the Chuck Taylor's followed.

I knew exactly where Chloe would be, the junkyard of course. I had quite the walk ahead of me, a few miles at best.

My tongue tried to wet my mouth but couldn't; I didn't even notice I was thirsty. There was a convenience store nearby...conveniently. I went in, grabbed a bottle of water, and bought it.

* * *

I took a final swig of the water; I'd been walking for a while, and my calves ached. So I sat down beside the tired old railroad and massaged them. There wasn't even the slightest amount of a breeze as I panted, wiping sweat off my brow. It was getting darker, and the sun stopped beating down on me. It was too late, though. The stinging hands of a sunburn slapped my neck.

I got back up again, mopping the sweat off of my forehead and continuing to walk along the rails. I checked the time again as I walked:

5:47 P.M.

I decided to pick up the pace a bit. I didn't want to get caught out there in the dark and become a nocturnal predator's lunch. I marched on, despite my still aching calves and got to the junkyard probably 25 minutes later.

To my relief, I saw Chloe's truck parked there by a dilapidated school bus. It was bathed in orange light from the sunset as it casted a long shadow in my direction. I waded through overgrown grass as I approached it, and she was fast asleep, sitting there.

As gently and quietly as possible, I opened the passenger side door and sat beside her, in her hand was a burnt out cigarette. I must've not been quiet enough, because she woke up.

"Hey," I uttered.

"Hey," she wiped the sleep away from her eyes.

"You know, it's not the best idea to fall asleep with a lit cigarette."

She looked down at her hand, which gripped a cigarette butt. She flicked it out the window behind her.

"How did you find me?"

"I just knew you'd be here."

"Hmm," we both avoided each other's gaze for a moment, she stared down at her legs.

"I'm sorry about earlier, it wasn't exactly the best way to get acquainted again," I muttered.

"No, it wasn't."

There was a slight pause, and she looked up at me with parted lips and apologetic brows.

"And...I'm sorry too, Max. I shouldn't have flipped out at you like that, I feel like a complete bitch."

"We were both bitches, no need to apologize."

She tilted her head, "I'll always be a bigger bitch than you."

"Is that a challenge?" I teased.

Chloe threw her head back in laughter, "You bet it is, Mad Max."

I guess she'd already forgiven me. She was just glad to see me, even if I got in the way of her money. I was fully expecting to have a full blown fight with her, but it didn't happen.

We sat in silence for a moment until she threw her arms around me, catching me by surprise.

"Max fucking Caulfield, I am so glad to see you," her voice rose with contentment.

I wrapped my arms around her now, squeezing her tight. I was smiling like a maniac, and you could hear it in my voice, "Chloe fucking Price, likewise."

I could feel the pulse in her neck thumping against the pulse in mine; I smelled a subtle hint of cheap men's cologne and a not-so-subtle hint of cigarette smoke.

Her heartbeat reminded me once again, 'She's alive.'

We held each other for a long time. I didn't want it to end, but all good things must.

So we eventually released each other.

"God, I can't believe that fucking prick knocked me over, my ass hurts." She shifted around on the seat to emphasize that.

And then she sprung a question on me, one I wasn't hoping to hear.

"What was that about, Max?"

I bit my inner cheek so hard that the metallic taste of blood burst in my mouth. I had to swallow it down.

An image of a bright blue butterfly flashed through my head, I blinked it away, "Ever heard of Chaos Theory?"

"Chaos what?"

I quoted a webpage I'd read, "Very small changes in the starting position of a chaotic system make a big difference after a while."

She blinked, "Sounds like some Stephen Hawking shit."

I shifted lower down in the seat and probably made myself look smaller, gulping, "Uh, Nathan had a gun on him, and he wasn't afraid to use it."

The corners of her mouth turned down slightly, "Really? 'Cause...so do I, and I'm not afraid to use it."

"You do?" Then I remembered she probably 'borrowed it' from David.

She leaned over and opened the glove-box, out came a massive black revolver.

She inspected it,"Yep, Smith & Wesson Model 29 in .44 Magnum. Feelin' lucky, punk?" She opened the cylinder and eyed the six rounds in it.

"Pretty sure it'd fly out of my hands and-or break my wrists if I ever fired it," she placed it in my hands.

I frowned at the heavy hunk of deadly metal, "Chloe, you were supposed to die in that bathroom."

Her gaze clouded, going distant, "What do you mean I was supposed to?"

My hands clammed up, "I saw it happen, kinda."

She chuckled, "Duuude, you musta smoked some hella strong shit. Where can I get some?"

I didn't laugh, she noticed this, and we just stared at each other.

"Woah, you were being serious," a look of grave concern came over her face.

"As serious as a heart attack," coincidentally, I felt like I was having one.

Her eyes continued to glaze over.

I gave the hand-cannon back to her.

"Fuck it. I'm going to tell you as straightforward as possible," I figured I'd use her confusion to my advantage.

"Uh, O-Okay."

"Firstly, you set up a little 'exchange' with Nathan. Just putting that out there."

Chloe sat up as straight as a board, "How the fuck do you know that?"

"I know a lot of things about a lot of people, you especially."

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, "Me especially?"

"Look, if you were to go into that bathroom, you would've had an argument with Nathan about the money. He would've snapped, you would've begged for your life, and he would've shot you."

"The fuck? Why are you saying, 'would've' so much?" She crossed her arms.

I could already tell this wasn't going to work, so I changed course.

"Empty your pockets really quick for me," I commanded.

"What? You're being hella weird."

"Just do it."

"Okay?" she did as I said and emptied her pockets. I studied the contents carefully, there was: a panda keychain, a really crumpled box of cigarettes, two nickels and six pennies. Deja vu hit me, 'Shit, I really am doing everything over. I've already done this in another timeline.'

"I don't see what the point of-" I cut her off mid-sentence when I raised up my right hand, the world moved in reverse. I watched her stuff the contents back into her pocket, going back to where she crossed her arms.

My head throbbed, 'This can't be healthy,' My blood pressure lowered again.

I dropped my right hand and without hesitation I declared, "You have: a panda keychain, a crushed box of cigarettes, and sixteen cents in your pocket."

Chloe looked at me like I had grown another head, "Huh?"

"Empty your pockets," she obliged, putting the same keychain, coins, and cigarettes back onto the seat.

She stared at them for a moment, probably counting the change, and she looked up at me in complete astonishment.

I smiled, I loved her reactions to these things.

"Holy fuck!" She had the biggest grin on her face, "That was so fucking cool!"

I shrugged, and she inquired, "Dude, are you a psychic or something?"

I decided to go along with it, figuring I'd tell her it was actually time travel later.

"I don't know if I'd call it that, maybe?"

"Can you tell me my fortune?" She asked, the words going a million miles per hour.

"Nope," I shook my head, even though I probably could've told her some sort of fortune.

She seemed slightly disappointed, resting her chin on her hand, "How did you do that?"

"Like I said, I know a lot of things about a lot of people, you especially."

She frowned, "Vague much?"

"It'll make more sense as the week goes on. I kinda want to talk about something else."

She stuffed her things back into her pocket.

"Alright, Super Max," she leaned back, kicking her legs up onto the dashboard.

Our conversation moved on to other topics as we watched the sunset together.


	2. Night

Chapter 2: Night

CHLOE:

 _Chaos Theory Chaos Theory Chaos Theory...Theory...Theory..._

Those words kept buzzing around in my head as I lay on my bed with heavy eyelids. Crickets and the faint barking of a dog could be heard through the slightly cracked window.

I tossed off my covers; my heart was in my throat and it made swallowing difficult.

' _I know a lot of things about a lot of people, you especially,'_ my heart sped up slightly. ' _If she actually is a psychic, does that mean that I really would've died?'_

' _Shit, maybe she really did save my life.'_

' _Don't be an idiot, Chloe. Psychics don't exist,'_ I didn't make myself feel any better.

I squinted at Max in the moonlit room, who lay beside me. Her chest rose and fell gently. I listened to her soft breaths, and they were oddly soothing.

She came to crash at my place after we left the junkyard, she didn't seem to have any problem sharing a bed with me and neither did I.

I felt a nagging urge to walk around, butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I got out of bed, being careful not to wake up Max as my hand grasped my _new_ box of cigarettes; I walked out of the room and out of the house.

I knew Nicotine was a mild-stimulant, which _should've_ kept me awake longer, but it sort of had this opposite effect on me: it knocked me the hell out. I would've smoked some pot, except I didn't want to waste it.

The warm, toxic smoke tickled my throat on the way down. It wasn't the most glamorous habit, but I kept at it, thinking I could just quit eventually. I exhaled slowly through my nose, the smoke's tendrils lashed out like fingers into the air. I glanced up towards the moon, which seemed much closer than usual. I checked the time on my phone:

 **3:26 A.M.**

' _Huh, Witching hour. Wait...Shit, have I been awake_ that _long?'_

I finished my cigarette and went back inside, feeling drowsier.

I gently lay back down, seeing that Max was still asleep, and drifted off not long after.

* * *

My cheek was pressed against a cold, wet surface. The clothes on my back stuck to me, completely drenched, as a torrential downpour seemed to come in from all directions. My body trembled, goosebumps ran all over it _._ I stumbled to my feet and the mud sloshed beneath them. The world spun around me like I drank too much, and it stopped after a moment. Inky darkness filled my surroundings and I could feel the hard, rapid thudding of my heart in my chest. Stinging rain pelted me, every drop feeling like tiny needles.

A deafening cacophony assaulted my ears; it sounded like a freight train was bearing down on me. My eyes adjusted to the dark, and I eyed a pair of wooden steps ahead of me. I recognized where I was: the lighthouse. A compulsion came over me; I needed to climb those steps. They were slick with mud and rain, and I almost lost my footing, catching myself on an overhead tree branch. My hair was plastered to my face, obscuring my vision slightly.

The bench near the lighthouse came into view. A figure sat upon it, looking into the eye of a very large storm; I was more focused on the figure. My blood froze over, the figure glowed an orange color, and it flickered like flame. I trudged closer, being whipped by powerful winds. The figure's glow didn't just behave like flame, it _was_ flame. An urge to sit beside it overtook me, I did so with great caution as steam rose off of the figure with the impact of the torrential rain. It turned towards me and I cowered, adrenaline surging through my body.

 _I recognized that face anywhere._

 _Rachel._

I opened my mouth to speak, but was quickly blindsided by a terrific impact. An impossibly large wave crashed over the top of us, Rachel's flame was snuffed out, and I inhaled a lung-full of icy water. It burned like I had inhaled fire; I thrashed in panic, and everything went black.

I bolted upright, gasping for air. My body was wracked with tremors, and I felt a wet warmth on my face; I licked my lips.

It tasted like metal.

I pulled my knees to my chest and rocked, warm fluid dripped from my chin onto my bare legs.

Max bolted upright too, yelping in surprise as she tossed off the covers and jumped out of bed at a lightning pace.

She stammered, "Are- are you okay?"

The rapid pitter-patter of bare feet approached me, and she flicked on a lamp off to my side.

I winced as the room lit up, squeezing my eyes shut; my pulse _pounded_ in my head.

I heard a sharp gasp, "Holy shit, Chloe...you're bleeding."

My eyes opened again and I wiped my mouth, my hand came away covered in an alarming amount of bright red blood. I pinched my nose and sat up straight, trying to staunch the flow.

"Don't move, I- I'll be right back," My eyes followed her as she darted out of the room.

She came back with a box of tampons.

I jammed some tampons up my nose, almost sneezing, and the bleeding stopped.

Lightheadedness hit me all at once like a train as I tried to get off the bed. My legs wobbled, and I collapsed to the floor, thudding and rattling several objects in the room.

"Chloe!"

She was immediately by my side as I erupted into a fit of painful sobbing, my hand smearing blood on the wood floor. She buried her head into my neck and held me tightly, her warmth all-encompassing.

Whispering in a soft soothing voice, she comforted me, " _It's okay...it's okay. I've got you."_

Neither of us slept anymore.

* * *

MAX:

"...and then a wave crashed over Rachel and I. That was when I woke up," Chloe sipped a can of soda that I'd gotten for her downstairs.

"Rachel...Amber?" I inquired while I was seated on the bed next to Chloe.

Her nose had stopped bleeding, and she'd changed into different, non blood-stained clothes.

She almost spewed the soda everywhere, putting her hand under her chin and catching some of it as I flinched, expecting some to get on me.

"What? You _know_ her?" She gulped.

"Uh, no...I know _of_ her, I saw all the missing persons posters."

She wiped her wet hand on the bed, "Oh...right..."

Pondering for a moment, she chuckled, "Tampons, Max? _My_ tampons?"

I turned my head sideways at her, grinning, "What? They're multi-use."

"I'm gonna start calling you Maxi-pad."

I scrunched up my nose, "Ew, don't call me that...Fisher Price."

She laughed, "The fuck did you just call me?"

Just like old times...

"Thanks, Max. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"No problem, Chloe."

A silence ensued, I looked around the dim, still lamp-lit room. Various posters covered much of the walls, Chloe had turned some quiet music on, a lot of it consisting of Bright Eyes.

Chloe twiddled her thumbs; I blurted, "You and Rachel were very close."

I guess that had stricken a nerve in Chloe, she shrunk back.

"I...don't really want to be reminded of her, Max. Also, again with this shit? What _are_ you, omniscient?" she threw her hands out to her sides.

That hit me like a gut-punch, "Uh...no...I-"

"You're scaring me, dude," she stuttered.

I collected my thoughts like they had just rolled out of my head and dropped onto the floor.

"I mean, how the _hell_ do you know this shit? I never even told you any of this."

I stammered, "Uh...I think we should go somewhere more private, I don't want to wake up Joyce or David."

"To hell with them," she glowered, "I need answers _now."_

I knew I'd lose any argument against her, in any timeline.

My gaze avoided hers, but I could feel her eyes tunneling into my skull.

"Chloe, I'm no _psychic_ or anything, I...don't know everything."

She scoffed, "Hmm _,_ but you do know a _lot_ , don't you? Especially about me, _right?"_

I shrank and my mouth went dry.

Her voice shook, "You- you're trying to fuck with my head, _aren't you?"_

"What? _No!_ " I glanced at her eyes, which didn't seem to reflect her outward behavior; she looked like she was about to burst into tears again.

"What else do you know, huh? What else, _Max?"_

My mouth opened and closed a few times, but no sounds escaped.

"Answer me!" she commanded

I stood up, clenching my teeth and balling my hands into fists.

I was breathing like an angry bull, she prodded, "What else?"

Silence.

She growled, "What the fuck, Max? You leave for five years and come back, acting weird as shit? Do you know much I needed you, when you _abandoned me?"_

She clasped her hands over her mouth with wide eyes; my face went beet red as my heart sank.

She jumped to her feet and reached a hand out to me, I put distance between her and I.

Her voice trembled, "Max...I-I didn't mean-"

" _I know what happened to Rachel!"_ I snarled, warm tears streaming down my face.

Chloe recoiled; she was half shocked that I had raised my voice, half shocked at what I had just said.

It became quiet enough to hear her shallow, rapid breaths as her eyes went wider.

The bedroom door flew open, and there stood a groggy David Madsen in nothing but a flowy pair of boxers.

We froze like a couple of deer in headlights.

He bellowed, "What the _hell_ is going on in here? It's five in the morning!"

Joyce was by his side now in a pink nightgown and bed-head, arms crossed.

Chloe reacted, "Uh...we were just..."

"Having a discussion," I mumbled, looking down at the ground with my vision blurring at the edges.

Joyce said in a stern tone, "Chloe, you've got some explaining to do; Maxine, it was great seeing you again, but I think it's time you left for now."

I sniffled and wiped my eyes, "Yes, ma'am."

I complied. Chloe and I made brief eye contact; a single tear rolled down her cheek as I grabbed my things. Joyce drove me back to Blackwell.

I snuck back into my dorm room some time later.


	3. Diplomacy

Chapter 3: Diplomacy

MAX:

I lay sprawled on my bed in nothing but a t-shirt a few sizes too large and underwear, staring up at the collage of instant pictures on the wall beside me. It was illuminated by rays of sunlight pouring in through the windows. My eyelids weighed a-hundred pounds; I was hardly awake and badly in need of some shut-eye.

There wasn't any time to sleep, though. I had classes soon and the showers beckoned to me. I also had other stuff to take care of, as I soon found out.

I rolled out of bed and onto my feet, grabbing my phone as I did so; I had a single message from a little while ago that had gone unnoticed. It was from Chloe, whom I'd given my phone number.

Today 8:02 A.M.

Max I'm picking u up after school, theres some shit u need to see

I typed out a quick response:

Today 8:37 A.M.

Ok

I put my phone down on the nightstand beside my bed, not looking forward to meeting her.

Don't get me wrong, I was always glad to see Chloe, but she probably wanted to talk about how I, " _Knew what happened to Rachel.'_ In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have said, er...yelled that. I guess she deserved to know the truth, though, no matter how ugly it was.

Anyways, even if I wanted to, I couldn't do anything about it now; I could only rewind a few minutes at best, and this had happened several hours ago.

She was right, though; I did abandon her, and I beat myself up every day for it. I knew she was going to profusely apologize to me, but I was the one who owed her an apology.

I broke her heart when I moved away, one heart-break of many in her young life.

I pulled on a pair of short pajama bottoms and put a bra on underneath my shirt, and grabbed both the outfit I'd be wearing today, which consisted of an: _In The_ _Aeroplane Over The Sea_ shirt ( _the_ most hipster album ever), and normal blue jeans.

I'd grabbed my shower gear and other essentials as well.

The door shut behind me as I stepped out; I noticed something off about the small dry-erase board beside it, something I hadn't noticed earlier this morning.

In black print, it read:

 **WALKING CONTRACEPTIVE**

With a fairly detailed image of a crossed out dick and balls below it, referring to a "cock-block."

My blood froze over, ' _What. The. Fuck.'_

I licked my hand and tried to smudge it to the best of my ability, but it was written in permanent marker and still visible.

' _Who the hell...'_

My cheeks burned with embarrassment, but I left it there for now...I couldn't really do anything about it.

The hallway had the usual low hum of activity as I passed by Kate's room; her dry-erase board didn't say, "Will bang 4 Jesus," anymore. It was just blank.

' _I guess Victoria eased up on Kate? No, that didn't sound like something Victoria would do...right?'_

I entered the showers and Kate stood there before a sink, which is one thing that hadn't been different. Her hair was down though, a rare sight.

"Hey, Kate," I smiled, glad to see her.

She spun around, "Oh hey, Max," her voice sang with an unusual cheeriness.

"How're you holding up?"

She clasped her hands in front of her waist, "Good, you?"

' _This is slightly odd, she doesn't seem...down anymore.'_

I came back down to Earth; I'd been staring at her for the past ten seconds.

My eyes went wide, "Wowser, I guess I spaced out, sorry."

She giggled, "It's all good, Max."

I tugged at my ear, " _Oh_ , I think I still have your copy of _The October Country,_ by the way."

She raised an eyebrow, "You gave it to me a few days ago, remember?"

"No...I don't," I scratched my head, "see you around, I guess. I need to take a shower."

Glancing sideways she uttered, "Yeah...see you around."

' _That was too weird. It's like somebody's changing things while I'm not looking.'_

I pushed the curtains aside to one of the shower stalls and stepped inside of it _;_ I stripped naked and placed my things in a dry area.

I turned the shower knob to cold, ' _If this doesn't wake me up, I don't know what will.'_

My breath escaped me as the sheet of icy water hit; I was definitely wide awake now.

After turning the knob to a much warmer setting, I scrubbed the grime of the past day from my body.

Several minutes went by, and neither Taylor nor Victoria entered the shower room like they should've.

I concluded my rinse and dried off, throwing on my outfit except for my shoes and socks, and wrapping the plain white towel around my head.

As I stepped out of the girls showers into the hallway, I heard a commotion.

"You can't get out now Dana! So tell me the truth, or rot in there!"

' _Oh, that's right. Juliet thinks Dana sexted her boyfriend.'_

I walked towards Juliet and stood directly in front of her; she was looking down at her phone.

Dana yelled from within the room, "Juliet, let me out!"

I repeated the same thing I'd said in the previous timeline, "Hey, Juliet. Is everything cool?"

She scoffed, "Oh yes, Max! I've locked Dana in the room because we're 'cool.'"

"What did she do?"

"What didn't she do? Dana's been sexting with my boyfriend."

I crossed my arms, "Hm, lemme guess. Victoria told you that."

She looked at me sideways, "Huh? Uh, yeah...she said she saw the sexts."

"Have _you_ seen them?"

"No, I haven't."

"And you believe Victoria, a notorious shit starter?"

Her mouth was agape, she blinked a few times, "You...have a good point there."

Dana's voice cut in from behind the door, "Let me out, Juliet! I didn't do anything!"

Juliet quickly turned around and unlocked the door, "I know, Dana...sorry."

She gestured towards me, "Max here, convinced me of your innocence."

Dana looked at me from behind the door as she swung it open further, "Thanks, Max."

I grinned, "You're welcome."

It was then that I remembered Warren would be asking for his uh… 'movie booty.'

I inquired, "Hey, Dana. Do you have Warren's flash drive? He wants it back."

"Oh, yeah!" She gestured for me to come into the room, she grabbed it and handed it to me.

She leaned closer to me and whispered, "Hey, between you and I. Warren's got the hots for you. There's a folder on there labeled 'Max.'"

I sighed, "Yeah, I'm aware. Sweet guy, but he's going about it in the wrong way."

Dana leaned away from me, "I don't think he's ever been with anybody before, he's inexperienced."

I held up the flashdrive and smiled, "Thanks, Dana. See you around."

She smiled back, "Catch ya later, Max."

I walked back to my room and opened the door, eyeing the dry-erase board, ' _Yep, still there.'_

I dried my hair in front of my mirror; it returned to its usual wavy state, a way I don't usually leave it. The waviness didn't look half-bad on me, though, so I kept it that way. I did sweep my bangs to the side, though. After all, Kate had her hair down out of its usual tight bun for once.

My mind flickered back to the unusual differences in this timeline, ' _I'm gonna get to the bottom of this.'_

I threw my shoes and socks on and left my dorm room again, determined.

My clenched fist knocked on Victoria's door, aiming to confront her about the lovely little drawing that graced my dry-erase board, since I figured she'd done it.

She yelled from inside, sounding irritated, " _What?_ Fuck off!"

"It's Max...Caulfield."

"What do _you_ want, bitch?"

I was _so_ done with her shit, "I want you to get the _fuck_ out here."

After a few moments of silence, the door flew open and there stood Victoria with her unfinished make-up covered face.

She crossed her arms and pursed her lips, "This better be be fucking important."

I pointed towards my door, lowering my eyebrows, "Did you do that?"

It took her a moment to see it, and she shook with laughter, "Holy fuck, _that..._ is fucking precious. You think _I_ did that? I can't even draw!"

She laughed some more, and slammed the door in my face.

' _Oooookay...I guess she didn't do it...but if not her, who?'_

I went to Kate's room, figuring that talking to her was more important than mending my shattered dignity.

I knocked gently, "Kate? It's Max."

A quiet voice came from inside, sounding muffled, "Come in."

I did, she was seated at her computer, typing. Her hair was now in a tight bun.

I glanced over at her pet bunny, who was happily snoozing.

"I just wanted to ask you something."

She spun around to face me in her chair and sat up with good posture, "Alright. Oh, your hair looks nice."

I pointed to my hair, "Oh, this? This is just how it is before I straighten it."

"It looks good, really."

I grinned, "Well, thank you. Your hair looks quite nice too."

She leaned forward on her elbows, smiling back with rosy cheeks, "Thank you. So...what was your question?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask if you ever went to to that Vortex Club party a few months ago."

She chuckled, fidgeting with the crucifix around her neck, "Me? No _,_ I never went."

I tilted my head, "Really?"

"Yeah, I've been fairly busy all the time. Trying to stay on top of my school-work has been tough."

I zoned out again, ' _Woah, she never went to that party. She never got drugged, and that horrible video of her was never taken.'_

I snapped back into it when she asked, resting her hand on her chin, "Are you okay?"

I almost dropped the F-Bomb, but I caught myself; I knew better than to utter curses around her.

I stammered, "Uh...Yeah. I zoned out again, I didn't sleep well."

The corners of her mouth turned up, "Take care of yourself, Max. Sleep is important."

"Duly noted, Kate. See you in class."

I left her room, went back to mine, and grabbed my school stuff.

It was pretty much time to start heading to class, my first one for the day was World History.

I felt my phone vibrate, one new message.

It was from Warren:

Today 9:43 A.M.

Hey Max! did you get the flash drive yet?

I typed a response:

Today 9:44 A.M.

Yep, I'll give it to you after school

I put my phone away.

It was going to be a _looooong_ day.

* * *

From the moment I entered Blackwell's main hallway, my day took a turn for the worse. Everyone looked at me like I was some kind of freak.

The mental image of my unflattering dry-erase board filled my mind the entire day.

Poor me had to endure snide comment after snide comment; _I_ was the bullying victim now, not Kate. I could only assume Nathan was dealing with this shit too.

I felt sorry for him, kind of.

I took every comment with a grain of salt, knowing that they were all idiotic or completely false. Oftentimes, they were both.

Chloe had rubbed off her I-don't-give-a-shit attitude onto me. I had to sit through Jefferson's class, though, whom I now knew was a complete psychopath that kidnaps innocent young girls, myself included in the previous timeline.

' _He'll get his karma, I'll be making sure of that.'_

I made it through the school day, barely.

I messaged Chloe:

Today 4:06 P.M.

Hey Chloe I need to give something to somebody really quick.  
I'll meet you outside my dorm building.

I met Warren by his ancient blue hatchback.

"What up, Max? How are you?" He put out his arms to hug me.

I let him, just this one time.

"Here's your flash drive, thanks," I held it up to him, and he took it.

He rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, no problem."

His hand gestured towards his hoopty, (old worn out car) "Check out my new wheels…"

I walked around, examining it, "Cool, very old school."

"1978 to be exact. Now we can go to the drive-in."

"There's one in Newberg, just 60 miles away."

"You're in the wrong time, Warren."

I continued, "But then, so am I…"

I was mostly just repeating what I'd said in the previous timeline, trying to keep this conversation from becoming any more awkward.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's been one strange fucking...week."

"I bet. Heard you got in a fight with somebody."

I tilted my head, "Huh?"

"That blue-haired girl, people are saying it was a fight."

I sighed, waving my hand in dismissal, "Oh, it wasn't really a fight, we're old friends. I was trying to keep her from doing something stupid."

He grinned, "Good friends always keep each other from doing something stupid."

His eyes went wide, as if he'd remembered something, "Oh hey! Did you get a chance to check out the movie booty on my flash drive?"

"Yeah, thanks. You had some pretty cool shit on there, from 'Akira' to 'Twilight Zone.' Which seems apropos...lately."

' _Not to mention your folder of me…'_

"Yeah, I consider myself a pop...cultural pirate connoisseur."

"Sounds a lot better than thief."

He lowered his voice, "Ha ha. Make sure you watch Cannibal Holocaust."

"Seen it, the emo-vampire movies on there were more disturbing to me..."

He crossed his arms, "Can't a sensitive high school boy love sensitive vampires too?"

I smirked, "So you're sensitive…"

"Ouch! That sounds awful the way you say it."

"Actually, I was impressed you had 'Faster, pussycat. Kill! Kill!'"

He grinned, "Russ Meyer was a genius of black and white. Plus, babes with breasts."

"Yeah, babes that would beat your sensitive ass down."

"If I was lucky."

' _Ugh.'_

"Oh yeah, speaking of hip and fast, we should cruise out in my car to an actual movie this week…you seem distracted, though."

"Yeah, I am. I'm thinking probably not this week...maybe the next? I've got _lots_ of business to take care of."

He grinned, "Monkey business? Or ape business? I was gonna ask if yo—"

"Max Caulfield, is it?" I looked up and saw Nathan Prescott.

He shoved Warren away and got in my face, his breath smelling of strong alcohol.

"Why the _fuck_ do you have to poke around in my personal shit, you nosy whore?"

I growled, "Why the fuck do _you_ have a gun?"

His eyes went wide, but he quickly returned to his scowl, "How the _fuck_ do you know that?"

Warren tried to step in, "Get off her, dude!"

Nathan turned around and headbutt him as I winced, as I were feeling Warren's pain.

I cocked my right arm back and punched Nathan as hard I could in his ear, leaving my fist numb.

He stumbled to the side, clutching his ear. He turned around and looked down at his hand, blood stained it.

' _Oh shit…'_

I braced myself as he cocked _his_ arm back, I was about to get fucking _decked._

But Warren came behind him, putting him in a headlock.

Nathan made choking noises as he tried to elbow Warren, but he missed.

They fell to the ground, Warren still had him in his death grip.

Nathan stopped struggling as he went unconscious, Warren released him. Blood dribbled down from Warren's nose as he stood up, bent over with his hands on his knees.

He panted, "You okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

He nodded, Chloe sped over to us in her truck from seemingly nowhere.

She stopped directly in front of us and got out, wide eyed.

Noticing Nathan on the ground, she leaned over him as he groaned in pain, "That's what you get, asshole!"

She looked over at me, "Max, we need to go." She gave a thumbs up to Warren, "Thanks, dude. We owe you one."

He nodded, and we got in the truck and sped off. Blackwell grew smaller in the rear view mirrors.

"Where did you come from, Chloe?"

She ignored my question.

"You alright, Max? Did you get hit?"

"Almost, Nathan nearly pushed my shit in."

She frowned, "If he hit you, I'd be fucking _furious_. I'd probably burst into flames."

"Blue flames," I teased.

A chuckle escaped her mouth, but she fell back into a somber mood, slouching.

She groveled, "Max, listen. I'm hella sorry about last night, I really didn't mean what I said."

"Chloe, don't sweat it, okay? I'm the one that owes you an apology. You were right, I did abandon you."

She gawked at me, "What? No, Max...don't say shit like that. You did _not_ abandon me, you just...didn't know how to work up the courage to talk to me. I probably wouldn't have been able to either, if I were you."

"I'm a coward, Chloe," I looked down at my legs, avoiding her gaze.

She put her hand to my chin, gently forcing me to look up at her as she glanced at the road intermittently, "Dude, you are _not_ a coward. I can see it, you became a badass. I saw you fucking _punch_ Nathan Prescott!"

My eyebrows scrunched upwards, "I'm a badass?"

"A badass, Max."

She released her hand from my chin, "Also, we're going to the junkyard again. We can speak more privately there."

"We can't speak in the truck?"

"Well...we _can_. But I'd rather not be driving when we do."

"Uh, what are we going to speak about?"

"Rachel. You said you know what happened to her, I need to know too."

I held my hands in my lap, squeezing them together, "Yeah, you do deserve to know."

Her gaze remained fixated on the road ahead of us, "Yeah...I do."

I gazed out of my window as we passed by lush, green woods.

* * *

We were at the junkyard not long after, Chloe turned the truck keys and the rumble of the engine fell silent.

The sun still stood high in the sky, baking everything in a bright yellow glow.

She inquired breathily, "Are you good to talk about it?"

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, "Yeah, I think so. I'm going to warn you, Chloe. You're not gonna like what you're about to hear."

"I don't care. Lay it on me, Max."

I gulped, "Chloe, Rachel...is dead."

Her forehead creased, "How do you know?"

"I saw her body," it came into mind that, she could too; Rachel was buried in this very junkyard.

Her eyes widened, "That...can't be possible."

"She's buried in this junkyard, Chloe."

Her voice shook, "Prove it...show me, I need to see her!"

"Follow me," I muttered, getting out of the vehicle.

She followed, and I led her to where Rachel rested.

"We're gonna need to dig right there," I pointed down at the exact spot.

Without hesitation, we dropped to our knees and began to claw away the dirt.

Our fingers dragged away the cold soil, one would think we were digging for buried treasure, just like when we were kids. But this was no treasure, nobody should ever have to dig up the remains of another human being.

Chloe began to get more and more panicked, clawing faster and faster. I clawed faster too, the dirt under my nails painfully ripping up the sensitive nail bed.

We clawed and clawed and clawed, but nothing ever came of it.

My stomach felt like it had flipped upside down.

 _Rachel's body wasn't there._

Any empty pit lie before me as my heart raced.

"She was right here!"

Chloe panted, glistening sweat ran down her face, "Are you sure this was the spot?"

"Yes! I'm completely sure."

I struggled to catch my breath, the weight of the situation pressed down on my chest. It was like trying to breathe through a straw.

My consciousness faded to black as the ground came towards me.


	4. Ouroboros

Chapter 4: Ouroboros

CHLOE:

Max drooped in my arms as I carried her to Rachel and I's cinder block hideout. For a small girl, she wasn't light.

I placed her gently on an old futon, "Max...please wake up!"

She didn't even move, she was out cold.

' _Shit shit shit.'_

I paced back and forth, biting my nails. I didn't take my eyes off of her.

She came to eventually.

"W-what happened?" She tried to sit up and I stopped her.

"Wait, Max. Just lie down, you passed out."

She stared at me, and her face contorted, "She was right there, Chloe."

"Just breathe, Max. It's okay..."

Then she dropped a complete bomb-shell on me, "Chloe, I can manipulate time."

It got so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

My chest panged with concern, "Max, are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm telling the truth, Chloe. I'm not a psychic, I know all these things because I already experienced them once."

I struggled to believe her, but I wanted to, I really did. Too much unexplainable shit had happened for it not to be real.

"Experienced them once? What do you mean?"

She sighed, "Chloe...I watched you die, several times. Nathan killed you in that bathroom, and I know about how he drugged you."

I clasped my hands over my head, "Max, stop...please."

"There's something I need you to read."

She looked around, as if she was searching for something.

"Have you seen my bag?"

My constricted throat hardly allowed me to speak, "Uh, I think you left it in my truck. I'll get it, just stay there."

I grabbed her bag and brought it back, almost tripping on a stray rock on the way.

I handed the bag to her. She sat up and rummaged through it, pulling out a journal.

She held it up, " _This,_ will explain everything much better than I verbally can," and then she handed it to me.

I flipped through the pages, it became harder and harder to read as I went on, because my vision had blurred from tears.

 _This will be the weirdest journal entry I will ever make..._

 _I woke up this morning a different person..._

 _Dear Diary... I have the power to rewind time..._

These entries kept coming, one after another.

 _We've been through so much together and we might go through more, depending on how this all ends, either in Heaven or Hella. Sorry, I couldn't resist._

I have to admit, I chuckled at that one as I thought about it later.

I closed the journal and looked at up Max, who there sat fidgeting.

I tried to speak, but the words couldn't escape my lips. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks and I didn't bother wiping them away.

' _She'd gone through so much...just to keep me alive, she'd seen me die so many times.'_ I still had an ounce of doubt though, being the skeptic that I was.

I tried to speak again with a squeezed throat, "Max...I matter _that_ much to you? Jesus...you-you've gone through hell and back, for _me?_ Why'd you do it?"

Her eyes swam with tears, "Chloe, I did it all because...because... _I love you."_

I took a step back, "You... _love me?"_

She got up and stood before me, her blue eyes melted into my soul.

She leaned forward on her tiptoes, and pressed her warm lips against mine. The air went electric as my heart fluttered in my chest. An unbelievable feeling of warmth and fuzziness surged through my body, her warmth.

 _I think I loved her too._

She pulled back from me gently, a very small strand of saliva strung between our mouths. Her eyes gazed into mine. Gazing into her eyes was like looking into the stars, they seemed infinite in depth.

She whispered, "I love you, Chloe."

I felt my eyes widen, "Woah, I didn't know you leaned that way."

"I do around you," the corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled.

Her smile faded into a melancholic gaze after a moment.

" _Chloe...I think Rachel's alive."_

My mouth fell open, words couldn't escape once more.

"You read about the snowstorm and the freak eclipse right?"

I nodded, my eyes still fixated on hers.

"The snowstorm was supposed to happen today, and it didn't. The eclipse probably won't happen either. I think the storm you dreamt about...isn't coming. I-I don't know how, but I think I fixed things! That storm was the whole reason I started over, to prevent it."

She jumped up in excitement, her hands grasped my forearms, " _I did it! I beat the system!"_

She let go of me and giddily paced around the room with an ear to ear grin on her face.

I blinked at her, "Your journal mentioned a dark room and Mark Jefferson...he took Rachel there?"

Her pacing ceased and she looked up at me, "Yeah, and _we're_ going to bust him for it."

I tilted my head, "We are?"

"Yes, we're the only ones who _can._ He's gonna get what's coming to him."

I grinned, "Fuckin' a-right he is, Nathan too."

"We're going to need proof, luckily I know _just_ where to find some."

"Like I said earlier, Max. You're a badass."

The corners of her mouth turned up, "I'm _your_ badass, Chloe."

I winced internally. I had just realized a love for Max, but a small part of me still belonged to Rachel...I didn't know how to feel about it.

I remembered what else I had brought Max here for, and fumbled for my phone.

"Hey, Max. You should see this."

She came to my side as I held the phone in front of us, and a video started playing.

It was a poorly taken, shaky cellphone video of what happened when Max stopped me from going into the bathroom, the motherfucker who took the video didn't even know how to hold still.

It was posted on Youtube, titled, " _Fast times at Blackwell."_

Both of us cringed all-throughout the painful, 3 and a half minute video.

The comments were even more painful to read:

 _Yo who's the blue haired chick? I need to know...for research purposes._

There was a reply to the above comment, _Thats Chloe Price I think. Resorted to prostitution I see._

Other comments read:

 _I can totally see why Nathan'd wanna pork that chick. She's fucking hot._

 _That shorter bitch got in the way of a good bangin'_

 _Only nathan would stoop so low as to banging somebody like her._

One anonymous comment read:

 _I totally graffitied Max's dorm room._

The comments went on and on and on, there were dozens _more_ of them.

Her mouth gaped open, as blood rushed to her face, leaving her cheeks a rose color, "They think it was…"

Shame hit me like a semi-truck, leaving my cheeks the same rose color, "Yeah, they do."

Her jaw clenched, "That is such..."

"Bullshit? Yeah, Max...it is..."

She took in a deep breath and exhaled, "How could they even think you were prostituting yourself to him?"

I placed my hand on her shoulder, "Because, Max. They're fucking _idiots,_ all of them. They jumped to conclusions...if only they were jumping off bridges."

"So, _that's_ why I was getting shit all day at school."

"What? Who was giving you shit? Tell me so I can kick their asses," I cracked my knuckles.

She half-smiled, "Oh, it isn't important, Chloe. Things are finally falling into place."

I sighed, "So...how do we get dirt on Jefferson?"

"Uh..." she scratched her head, "I'm pretty sure your 'step-dick' is keeping a ton of files on a bunch of Blackwell students, we could start there. I also just so happen to know where the dark room is."

"That paranoid bastard...where is this 'dark room?'"

"By _Twin Rocks County Park,_ it's an abandoned barn. A bit of a drive."

"I'd rather start there, we can snoop through my step-douche's shit later."

"Sounds like a plan, partner in time."

I raised an eyebrow, "Partner in time? I like it. Lead the way, partner in time," I gestured towards my truck.

She smiled, "One second."

A marker came from her back pocket and she wrote on the cinder block wall beneath Rachel and I's names.

 _Chloe was here_

 _Rachel was here_

She wrote with a flourish:

 _Max was here_

* * *

MAX:

Chloe rubbed her eyes which were fixated on the moving black tarmac ahead of us. The road was dimly lit by the orange sun.

"Shit. I'm hella exhausted. I didn't even sleep last night, we should probably just go home."

"Yeah, I feel ya. Need me to drive?"

She looked heavenward, "Holy shit...yes. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stay awake."

It was around 6 P.M. but I felt her pain, I wasn't much better off myself.

I pointed to the highway's shoulder, "Just pull over there, I'll take it from here."

"Sweet Jesus, you're a lifesaver, Max."

She pulled over and turned on the hazard lights as we swapped places.

I sat in the driver's seat, which was still warm, "Damn, Chloe. When did you get so tall?"

"When did you get so short?" she countered.

I adjusted the seat's position and mirrors and we set off again; I almost forgot to turn off the hazards.

When I glanced down at the clutch pedal I uttered, "It's a good thing I learned to drive on a standard transmission car."

Chloe scooted towards me and rested her head on my shoulder, her blue hair draping over it, "Everybody should learn that way."

A soft snore escaped her not soon after.

She looked so serene; I could really see the eyeshadow she'd applied to her eyelids, a charcoal black.

I parked in the driveway in front of Chloe's house about 30 minutes later, taking off my seatbelt as I did, one thing Chloe never wears.

The sun's rays of dim light spread out through the rear window. Tiny particles of dust floated around, made visible by the light.

She stirred awake, stretching out her arms and yawning, "We there?"

"Yeah."

"You can crash on my bed again, weary time traveler."

' _She's taking this whole time travel thing very well, I'm glad I showed her my notebook."_

"How do you do it, Max? Time machine?"

I blew air through my nose, "No, if only if it were that simple. Not...that inventing a time machine'd be simple."

She jerked a thumb towards herself, "Yeah, or else _I_ would've invented one already."

I grinned, "So no, it isn't a time machine. It's just me, myself, and I...and an inexplicable ability to bend time."

Chloe traced circles on her palm, "I still can't get over it, Max. I mean, seriously...you've saved my life _how_ many times now?"

"I lost count."

"My point exactly, you're a superhero... _Super-Max."_

I grinned from ear to ear, looking down at my lap, "And you're my faithful sidekick."

She nodded her head towards her house, "Let's go inside. I guess while we're in there, we can rummage through step-dick's vintage porn collection...I mean...evidence."

I elbowed her in the shoulder, "Oh come on, we both know David doesn't keep his vintage porn collection in the garage."

She chuckled, "I know, he keeps it in the attic."

She opened the truck door and stepped out, stretching her arms out wide and yawning, "Shit, I feel like I could sleep forever."

I agreed as I got out of the truck, turning it off and pulling the handbrake, "I feel like I haven't _slept_ in forever."

"You know what, Max? As much as I don't want to waste time, I'm about to pass out. Like, seriously dude...I'm beat."

I yawned, "Let's just put off our detective work until tomorrow morning."

"Sounds like a plan, man."

Even though it wasn't late, we both went straight up to her bedroom and dropped ourselves onto her bed without bothering to take our clothes off.

* * *

As I drifted off into the dream world, the lighthouse came into view. The rising sun showered everything in a warm, orange hue. I stood amongst the trees, facing in the direction of Arcadia Bay.

' _Golden hour,'_ I raised the Polaroid that hung around my neck and aimed it towards the bench that sat at the base of the lighthouse.

The camera clicked and flashed, and the instant picture came out from beneath it.

As it developed, I noticed something in the picture that wasn't there a moment ago.

Someone was sitting there in the picture, in a dark hoodie.

I looked up from the picture and saw the same figure seated on the bench before me, leaning forward on its elbows.

My legs carried me closer, noticing the long, wavy brown hair that hung down from the figure's head. It looked very masculine in stature, broad shouldered and muscular.

I sat beside what I now knew was a he, as he stared ahead towards the distant Arcadia Bay.

"Who are you?" Hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

He turned to face me and brushed aside a lock of hair that fell in his face. His hair was even longer than mine, going well past his shoulders.

His blue eyes pierced my soul, slight dark circles beneath them. Freckles dotted his cheeks, which were partly obscured by a small amount of stubble on his angular face. His hoodie bore an illegible black and white band logo; torn blue jeans and skater shoes accompanied it. He was obviously some sort of rebel.

"Hello, Maxine...I'm you," his voice was deep, but gentle and comforting.

I raised my eyebrows, "You're me? But you're a guy."

He dug a hand out of his hoodie pocket and extended it to me, revealing a tattoo of a snake devouring its own tail on the back of it.

He cleared his throat, "Max _well_ Caulfield, pleased to meet you."

I extended my hand and grasped his, shaking it loosely.

I blinked, "Max... _well?"_

He chuckled, "I know it's off-putting, but I'm from a timeline where I...we, were born male."

My mouth fell agape, "That's not possible."

"Anything's possible, Maxine."

My breaths became shallow, "W-what about Chloe?"

He grinned, "Still female, and punk as ever."

"Is...is this real?"

"It's as real as you make it, my female counterpart."

I asked with hesitation after a pause, "Are you two…"

"Together? Yes," he held up his hand with fingers spread, displaying a wedding ring on his ring finger.

"And Rachel?"

He took in a long, deep breath and exhaled, "I couldn't save her, but you _did._ "

"Yeah, but...I don't even know what I did. It's like I broke time, to my advantage. I...guess I'm not complaining..."

"I think I know what happened," he stroked his chin.

"What?"

"However you did it, I don't know. But I don't think the Nathan in your timeline was quite as involved with Jefferson as before."

"I didn't _do_ anything, Max," these words rolled off my tongue, leaving a strange taste in my mouth.

He looked away from me and back towards the Bay, "He never had the chance to overdose Rachel."

"Which means she's alive, question is: Where is she?"

He glanced at the tattoo on his right hand as if it were a wristwatch, "I'm afraid _you'll_ have to figure that one out."

I pointed at it, "That tattoo, what does it represent?"

"This?" he traced a finger over it.

"It's an _Ouroboros_ , it represents infinity...wholeness. How time is infinite...how I'm only whole when I'm with Chloe. I'm going to spend eternity with her."

Silence followed, except for a high-pitched bird song and the distant crashing of waves.

I pondered for a moment, "Why is it that Nathan wasn't so involved with Jefferson?"

He turned to me again as he faded, becoming transparent like a spectre. His voice became more and more distant, "It's time for you to wake up, Maxine."

I opened my eyes, wincing as rays of light met my corneas.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," I glanced over towards the sound of Chloe's voice, she was seated at her computer.

The events of the dream were stilled ingrained in my mind, a powerful feeling of euphoria hit me as I blurted, " _Ouroboros."_

She turned towards me and tilted her head, " _Huh?_ Are you okay, dude?"

I snapped out of it, "What?"

"You said something... _Ouroboros?_ "

I blushed as I propped myself up on my elbows, "Uh, it's a symbol for wholeness or infinity."

She turned back to her computer, "How do you spell it?"

Mysteriously knowing how to spell it, I told her, "Uh, O-U-R-O-"

I paused as she hit the keys, "Uh huh."

"B-O-R-O-S"

Image after image popped up on the screen; I now stood by her side.

Her eyes flashed in surprise, "Oh hey! I've seen this before, a band I listen to sometimes uses it."

"What band?"

"It isn't important, you'd probably hate it."

She cleared her throat, "That symbol'd make a badass tattoo. Anyways, how'd you sleep?" She inquired, closing the ouroboros tab.

I rubbed the back of my neck, "Well, I guess. I had the weirdest dream though."

She spun in her chair to face me and leaned forward, hands gripping the armrests, "What was it?"

I sucked my teeth, "Uh, I met a male version of myself named Maxwell."

She half grinned, "A _male_ version? What was he like?"

"Um...he had longer hair than me, broad-shouldered. He was one of those headbanger types."

"Really? You dreamt this?"

"Yeah, he was really nice too. He talked to me about you, Rachel, and a few other people."

She raised an eyebrow, "What did he say about me?"

I smirked, "He said that you and him are together."

Her jaw dropped, " _Together?"_

"Yeah, together."

She narrowed her eyes, "Are... _we_ together?"

I gulped, "I...don't know."

She pondered for a moment, "Shit, I don't know either, Max. I love you, but a part of me still loves Rachel too...I have to admit, though, I enjoyed our kiss."

I slouched, "I completely understand, and yeah...I enjoyed it too."

She shook her head, "I'm sorry. I...I just feel guilty about it, what if she still loves me?"

I frowned, "I guess we'd be at a crossroads."

"I wouldn't be able to choose."

"I know...I'd choose for you. I'd let you be with her."

 _Forever._


	5. Hunger

Chapter 5: Hunger

CHLOE:

' _Fuck, I feel like a horrible human being.'_

I had just rejected Max, and I could tell it hurt her. It hurt me too, but I couldn't bring myself to be Max's girlfriend. As far as I knew, Rachel was...and I had _kissed_ Max.

Trying to avoid a 'love triangle' situation would prove to be difficult or damn near impossible.

I clicked and dragged an online map with Max looking over my shoulder.

"It's that place right there," she pointed at a birds eye view structure, "That's the barn."

"Huh, twelve minutes from here," I mumbled.

"We should probably stop at a hardware store and get a pair of bolt cutters, we'll need them to bust a lock."

"Hey, I have that .44 Magnum still, we could use that to bust a lock."

She scoffed, "Uh, do you even know how to shoot one of those without hurting yourself?"

"No…" I opened a new tab and started searching, ' _How to fire a .44 magnum.'_

She let out a chuckle, "No, Chloe. The internet won't help with that."

I waved my hand in dismissal, "Sure it will, I just need a few tips and pointers."

"You need to learn it from somebody that knows how to safely fire one."

"Oh _suuuure_ , I'll just go ask step-dick to show me how to shoot the gun I stole from him."

She groaned, "You're impossible."

"No, I'm possible."

"Fine, you win. I can't beat you in arguments."

"Nope...Hey, want to shower first?"

"Uh...sure," she sniffed herself and cringed, "Do you have any clothes I can borrow?"

I smirked, "Yeah...stinky ass," I got up and went to my closet, opening it.

"Hey!"

"Take your pick."

She picked a red flannel coat with patches and a tear on a sleeve, as well as a _Black Flag_ shirt to go underneath it. She also picked a torn pair of jeans. They were Rachel's clothes, but I didn't tell her that.

"Alright, don't take too long. I need to shower too."

"Okay, I'll be quick."

I got back on my computer and continued searching _how to fire a .44 Magnum._ I wasn't about to blow money on bolt cutters.

I learned absolutely nothing.

Max got out of the shower, Rachel's clothes fit her perfectly.

I whistled, "Damn, Max. You're looking like you're ready to fuck some shit up."

She did a little dance, "Ready for the mosh pit, shaka brah."

"Who knows, maybe you can come with me to a punk show one of these days."

"That would be pretty cool, but scary."

I shrugged, "Pfft, It's not that bad. Just watch out for crowdkillers, they'll fuck your day up."

I cleared my throat and changed the subject.

"So...I'm kinda hungry," I rubbed my stomach, "Want to eat at the Two Whales?"

She grinned, "Hell yes, I need my Belgian waffle fix."

"Whatever, bacon for me. You don't know what you're missing."

I got up and grabbed my clothes and shower shit, "Alright, ten-ish minutes and we're outta here."

"Okay."

I nodded towards my computer with full hands, teasing, "Don't look up hentai on my computer, I know you."

She blushed, " _Hentai?"_

I left my room and took a shower, taking extra care to scrub my hair. I wanted it to look nicer, for once.

I threw on a plain black hoodie leaving it unzipped, exposing a white Bad Brains shirt. If Max was wearing band shirts, so would I.

I threw on torn jeans and some black boots that were already in the bathroom.

I stepped back into my room and spun around, arms out to my sides, "How do I look?"

"Hella punk."

I grinned, "Oh shit, I'm a bad influence on you. Now I've got you saying that."

She feigned a shocked expression.

I cleared my throat, and with my best accent said, "Vamos, señorita. Para los dos…...whales."

She shook her head, "I can see Spanish class didn't stick with you."

We set off. Being the only ones home, we weren't stopped.

* * *

I gripped the slim black steering wheel and shifted into gear repeatedly.

A few minutes passed and we didn't really exchange any words.

Glancing down at the broken fuel gauge, with its cracked glass and loose needle, reminded me that I probably needed to get gas.

I cleared my throat again, "Hey, I'm probably going to need some gas. I'm gonna stop at the gas-station across the street from the Two Whales. Would you...mind getting us a booth when I stop?"

"No problem, Chloe."

"Alright, cool."

Max gazed out of the window for a while more, silently.

Wanting to strike up a conversation, I asked, "Did you ever go by that gum wall in Seattle?"

She turned her head towards me, "Yeah, a few times. How come?"

I snickered, trying to hold a laugh back, "How much money...would I have to pay you to scrape a bunch of gum off the wall, and eat it?"

She threw her head back in laughter, "There's no amount of money you could pay me!"

"Oh, come on. Not even for a billion dollars?"

She pondered for a moment as we pulled into the gas station, "Nope, you couldn't pay me any amount."

I turned off the truck as she asked me, "What about you? How much would you have to be paid?"

I smirked, "Pfft, I'd pay _you_ to let me eat the gum...I'm kidding."

She jabbed me in the shoulder and got out of the truck, "You're gross."

Looking both ways, she crossed the road after waiting for some cars to pass by.

I walked over to the attendant and opened my wallet, pulling out a fifty dollar bill.

I began to speak, "Hello, can I have thirty dollars on pump-"

My fingers must have held it too loosely, because it blew out of my hand into a puddle of sludgy, putrid water a few feet away.

"Fuck!" I picked it up between my index finger and thumb, smelling of rotten eggs and coated with some weird green shit. I gagged at the smell and released it, ' _Fifty dollars down the shitter…'_

I sighed in exasperation, wiping my hand on my jeans as I pulled out a twenty dollar bill.

The guy behind the counter took no pity on me.

I gripped the bill tightly now and slammed it on the counter, "Okay, _twenty_ dollars on pump two."

He took the bill and punched some keys on a computer system, "Would you like your rec-"

"No."

If I had to guess, I'd say the gas only filled my tank halfway.

I crossed the road in my truck and parked it at the Two Whales.

I noticed Frank's RV was also parked there, ' _Shit.'_

I pulled the door open and my nose was hit with the delectable aroma of good, American cooking.

Sure enough, Frank was seated in a booth by himself at the very end of the diner. We locked eyes for a split-second as I held my breath, and he went back to eating his meal...beans.

A sigh of relief escaped me, and I spotted Max talking to my mom.

I went to the bathroom and washed my hands, eliminating the putrid stench that coated them.

* * *

MAX:

Joyce glanced to her side as Chloe approached the booth, "Morning, Chloe. I was just talking to Max here," she gestured to me.

"Hi, mom," she plopped down across from me and appeared to be pouting.

Joyce inquired, "What is it this time?"

"Ugh, nothing."

Joyce poured a coffee, pursing her lips and raising an eyebrow, "Hmm, doesn't sound like nothing."

"Fine...I dropped a fucking fifty dollar bill in some nasty shit water and now it's ruined."

Joyce finished pouring Chloe's coffee and put it down in front of her, "Language, Chloe. Where'd you leave it?"

Chloe took it and began to add sugar and milk from a few little containers, "In the shit water."

Joyce pulled out a notepad, "That's unfortunate. Not much you can do about it, I guess. Can I get you girls anything?"

I smiled, "I'd kill to have some Belgian waffles right now."

She looked at Chloe as she finished writing my order, who said, "Homestyle eggs and bacon, the usual."

"Alright, girls. It'll be out in a few."

Chloe and I said at around the same time:

"Thanks, Joyce."

"Thank you, Mom."

Joyce grinned, "You're very welcome," and she went into the back.

I cleared my throat, "Tell you what, Chloe. I'll pay for the food."

She gawked at me, "Fuck no, dude! I'm paying."

"How much money do you have left?"

She sighed and slouched, "I don't have shit…"

"So then I'll pay. You let me sleep at your house, after all."

"No, I'll find a way to-"

"It's the least I can do."

She sighed, "Okay, fine...thanks, Max."

"Woah, did I just beat you in an argument?"

She shook her head and leaned forward, elbows on the table, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

I sipped my coffee as dread struck me. Gulping down the coffee in my mouth, I replied, "Talk about what?"

"Your power, I still can't wrap my head around it."

I tilted my head, "Really?"

"Yeah, Max. I'm still kinda skeptical, I just don't understand how it's possible. I know your journal explained a lot of things, but I want to see it for myself."

She leaned further forward and studied me, like an art connoisseur studies a statue.

I blinked, " _What?"_

"If you can really rewind time, I need you to tell me three things that'll happen in the next few minutes."

I frowned, "Chloe, I'd like to avoid using my power as much as possible. It gives me nosebleeds."

"Aw, c'mon. I need to see if this shit's real."

She pulled out two tampons from one of her pants pockets, "Besides, if your nose bleeds, I got you. Maxi-"

I stabbed a finger at her, "Don't call me that!"

We both laughed for a moment and I gave in, "Aw, what the hell. I'll do it, but you better have those tampons ready, because I might spring a leak."

Just then, Frank spilled his beans all over the floor. The plate shattered into a million pieces.

"Shit!" He yelled.

An employee I didn't recognize came out from behind the counter and helped him clean it up.

Chloe turned back towards me and fell lower in her seat, trying to hide her laughter.

I gulped, "Okay...that'll be the first one."

A few moments went by, looking out the window I noticed a bird landing near a half-eaten burger that someone had discarded.

I made a mental note of it.

Chloe watched me silently, like an attentive school child.

Finally, the third event: two cars blew past the diner at a high rate of speed, racing each other.

"Okay, here goes nothing."

I raised my right hand up, and nothing is exactly what happened.

Gasping, I dropped my arm, " _Holy shit."_

Chloe looked equally surprised, " _What?"_

My heart raced as the room spun around me, " _I don't have my powers anymore…"_

As I soon found out, I no longer needed them. You don't use 'em, you lose 'em.


	6. Helpless

Chapter 6: Helpless

CHLOE:

Max darted out of the Two Whales and onto the sidewalk, I followed closely behind her.

Her breaths were rapid and panicked, she paced back and forth with her hands on her head, disheveling her hair. Tears streamed down her face.

I reached out a hand to her, stopping her. I stepped in front of her and placed my hands on her shoulders.

"Max, just look at me," She trembled beneath my hands, "Breathe, Max. In through your nose and out through your mouth."

Her breathing continued to speed up as she became more pale.

"In through the nose...out through the mouth," I breathed with her, and we did this for probably a minute or two.

It was obvious that she still had high anxiety, but I'd stopped her from hyperventilating too much.

She bent over with her hands on her knees, still trembling.

Tears dropped from her chin onto the sidewalk, leaving tiny wet splotches on it.

I offered her one of my jacket sleeves, and she wiped her eyes on it.

I bent down with her as our hair obscured our faces, cars sped past us on the road.

"I've dealt with my fair share of panic attacks too, never quite got used to them," I said, trying to comfort her.

She sniffled, "M-my powers are…" she struggled to get the last words out, choking on them, "...gone, Chloe."

"You don't need them."

"What?"

I half-grinned, "Max...you don't need powers to be an everyday hero."

She continued to look at the ground, silent.

"I shouldn't have asked you, Max. I...I shouldn't have asked you to use your powers."

She stood up straight, her voice was hoarse, "No, Chloe. I think you did me a favor."

I stood up straight too, "No, dude. I tried to make you do something you didn't want to do. I need to keep my damn mouth shut sometimes."

"Besides, I no longer doubt you."

She sniffled, "Yeah, I know."

We stood in silence for a few tense moments.

"Our uh...food is probably ready, you think you'll be able to eat?"

Wiping her reddened eyes, she mumbled, "I'll try."

She composed herself and walked back into the Two Whales, sitting back down at our booth.

Our food was there and Joyce stood nearby, noticing something was wrong with Max.

She ran over to her concerned, placing her hand on Max's shoulder, "Are you okay, sweetheart? I saw you bolting out of here."

I answered for her, "She just had a panic attack, she's going through a lot of stress right now."

Joyce put on a motherly face, "Awww, poor thing. Blackwell beating you down?"

Max tried to grin but couldn't, "Yeah, that and a few other...things."

"Tell you what, sweetie," Joyce pulled out our bill and ripped it in two.

"I'm not making you pay for the meal."

Max gawked at her, "What? No, Joyce I can't-"

"I insist," Joyce placed a hand over her heart, smiling.

"It's on the house."

Max went wide eyed, "Th-thank you...so much."

Joyce gestured to the food, "You're very welcome, young lady. Now enjoy."

My eyes went wide too, "Wow, Mom...thanks."

She didn't hear me, I'd mumbled it.

We sat down and dug in, eating like ravenous dogs. We didn't even pause to speak; I guess we really were that hungry.

We finished our meals, and Max left a sizeable tip on the table. I chipped in what little I had.

I sat down in the truck, feeling like I weighed ten more pounds.

I said what I felt, "I feel about ten pounds heavier."

Max put her hand on her stomach and grinned, "Me too."

Thoughts of this alleged dark room flashed through my mind.

I gulped, "Max?"

"Yeah?"

"What's in the dark room?"

She stared at me for a moment, thinking out her response, "I'm not gonna lie, Chloe...It's not good, not good at all."

"You better have my back in case I have a panic attack."

She smiled, "I'll have your back, Chloe. I promise."

I sighed, then tried to psyche myself up, "Good, now let's do this shit."

We set off, screeching away onto the road.

* * *

We pulled up onto a heavily wooded dirt trail a few miles later. It opened up into a flat area, and there stood a large, rickety old barn. Several rusty antique cars surrounded it. The truck shut off with a rumble and a groan.

"Guess you should grab that pistol, we're going to need it."

I grinned, "Right, for the lock."

I pulled the giant revolver from the glovebox, and got out as she led the way.

We walked around the side of the barn; she ducked her head and entered through a gap that had been covered by a sheet of corrugated metal.

I went in behind her, spotting her crouching over an area of the barn floor.

She took up armfuls of mildewed hay that covered it, revealing a heavy steel trap door.

I kneeled beside her, "So that's it right there?"

She glanced over at me briefly, before looking back down at it, "I don't know if going all Dirty Harry on the lock is such a good idea."

I frowned, "Maybe not, but I'm trying it anyways."

She got up and stood back, "Whenever you're ready."

My heart was in my mouth as I cocked the hammer.

I stood up and backed away from the steel door, training the heavy pistol onto the large padlock.

'Inhale...exhale...slowly pull the trigger.'

My ears rang as the deafening crack reverberated throughout the barn, the revolver emitted a massive fireball and jumped up within millimeters of hitting me in the face. My hands and wrists felt like they'd been slapped with a ruler.

"That...was badass!" I lowered the hand cannon.

"What? I can't hear you over the sound of my eardrums getting punctured."

I tilted my head at her, "Why didn't you cover your ears?"

"Because, if you can't cover your ears then neither will I. It's only fair."

She pointed to the lock, "Did you hit it?"

Sure enough, I did. It had a large hole punched through it.

I whooped in victory, "Fuck yes, first try!"

Max jiggled the padlock, and it came undone as pieces fell off of it.

We both struggled to lift the door, it had to weigh at least 150 pounds.

It fell open with a thud, kicking up dust and hay and revealing concrete steps.

She wasted no time in going down there, punching in a three digit code beside the door.

It beeped, and we cracked open the vault-like door.

"Are you sure you want to go in?" She glanced over at me as I stood right behind her.

I gulped, "No, I'm not sure."

I stepped past her and went in, the frigid air gave me chills.

Shelves upon shelves filled the initial room, each of these shelves had various cans of food and supplies.

My mouth was agape, "Holy shit, look at this place…"

That room opened up into another area, a white backdrop was draped over the wall and floor. A single splintery wooden chair sat on it, with duct tape around the armrests and legs. Various photography equipment was scattered throughout the room. Red binders filled a particular shelf, I read off the names:

Lynn

Kelly

Grace

Ashley

My heart sank:

Rachel

I grabbed her binder and flipped through it, making me nauseous the more I looked.

Rachel had been photographed in several revealing positions, haunting image after haunting image. Progressively looking sadder and lonelier as they went on.

I slammed the binder shut, as my organs tied themselves into knots. I felt my abdominal muscles contract as the bitter taste of bile filled my mouth. I swallowed it back down, shuddering.

A rolling metal table had various syringes and empty vials. I picked one of them up and read it, 'Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid.'

I put it back down and looked around, noticing Max had hung back.

She stood at the entrance, "You okay, Max?"

"I don't want to go in there again."

"Again?" I asked, confused.

Her eyes welled up with tears, "Chloe...there's something I haven't told you."

She choked, "Jefferson hurt me too. I...I saw him kill you with a bullet to the head as he injected me with something."

My blood rushed to my head as my face went hot, "He...hurt you?"

"It was awful, Chloe. He was going to kill me, and...and…" She started bawling, dropping to her knees. It was the most anguished I'd ever seen her; drool ran from her mouth, hanging in stringy strands from her chin as her face went beet red.

I dropped to my knees and clutched her, holding the back of her head with my hand, feeling every jagged breath.

After a moment her crying had died down, her voice was muffled as I still held her, "I'm s-sorry, Chloe. I...just can't go in there."

I ground my teeth in utter rage, how could somebody hurt Max? How could anybody be that evil? Not only just towards her, but to Rachel too, and countless other girls.

"Max, this is probably the only time you'll ever hear me say this. We need to call the cops...now."

* * *

MAX:

It was an open and shut case. Following a brief investigation, Mark Jefferson was arrested and charged with so many crimes that the rap sheet took several minutes to read.

Nathan Prescott was arrested too, and he got charged for his own crimes after he sang like a canary.

Apparently, Mr. Jefferson had been enticing Nathan into doing bad things, drugging and photographing Chloe, for instance. Mr. Jefferson tried to act like a fatherly figure towards Nathan, since Nathan's father wasn't the nicest to him.

However, when Jefferson kidnapped Rachel, Nathan refused to be a part of it. This had saved Rachel's life, since Nathan hadn't had the chance to kill her. An issue that was never brought up in court, though, was the fact that we didn't know where Rachel was.

It seemed as if everyone else knew something we didn't, and this infuriated us.

If nobody would tell us where Rachel was, we'd find out for ourselves.

* * *

We got home from court late that night, exhausted.

The hospital-like odor of the dark room still danced around in my nostrils, even though I hadn't been there in a while. I had memorized the smell. Neither of us could sleep, it had been one fucked up past few days.

Chloe lay sprawled out beside me, "Fuck this, Max. I've got something that'll put us to sleep."

She leaned over her side of the bed, turning a lamp on and opening a jar. She pulled out a joint.

She cleared her throat, "I know you're not big on drugs, but I think this'll help. You know, that's why I started smoking it in the first place, to help with my insomnia. Maybe it'll help with your uh...you know."

"Uh, I'm not so sure about it, Chloe. It's...not going to make me see things, is it?"

Chloe chuckled, "No, Max. It'll just mellow you out and make everything funny."

She flicked on a lighter and held the joint in the flame, sucking air through it with her mouth.

Chloe took a few hits and handed it off to me, smelling strongly of skunkiness.

"Since you've never smoked before, I'd only take a hit or two...probably only one."

I gawked at the joint in my hand, "I've never smoked anything, not even cigarettes."

We both sat with criss crossed legs on the bed, "Basically, you want to draw the smoke into your mouth and hold it there, and then inhale it quickly before exhaling. It makes it a little less harsh that way."

I handed her the joint and she demonstrated, "See, just like that." Her eyes began to redden.

She handed it back to me, "Well, here goes nothing...I guess."

I held it to my lips and did exactly what she said to do, twice. Surprisingly, I didn't cough.

It left a bitter taste in my mouth and my lips tingled.

I gave it back to her, and she let it smoulder out on an ashtray.

"Thanks, Chloe."

She lay back down after turning off the lamp, "No problem, dude."

I got back under the covers and waited, a tingling sensation went through my body and my head felt fuzzy.

I giggled, "This feels funny."

She responded, sounding out if it, "Yeah...funny, like a clown."

"But...clowns are scary, Clown...I mean Chlo."

"Chlo? That's...new."

"What is? Oh yeah...Chlo."

She shook with laughter, "Chlo...Chloro...form…"

We engaged in this baked conversation for a while before we drifted off.

* * *

The nightmares began that night. **(A/N: This part might get a little bit disturbing, sorry.)**

I couldn't see a thing, pitch blackness engulfed me. I felt around in the dark and touched a lightswitch, I flicked it on and a dim red light filled the area. A figure stood where the light was the brightest, and it came towards me. I recognized him as my blood froze over, it was Mr. Jefferson. He appeared inches before me, as if he'd teleported.

He held a small metal object in his hand, "You'll know what to do, Maxine." He placed the object in my hand and I realized it was a scalpel. I held my breath and looked up at him, hearing a clicking noise come from behind me.

Brilliant white light filled everything, which was nothing. We were surrounded by complete nothingness. I spun around and spotted an object in the distance. Looking back at Jefferson, I saw him shooing me along. I approached it, footsteps making no sounds. The object flickered and shot directly in front of me, it felt like the floor had been pulled out from underneath me like a rug. I fell down, dropping the scalpel with a clatter. Another one mysteriously appeared in my hand.

I stood up to look at the object, and I screamed at the top of my lungs. It was Chloe, fully nude and strapped to a grimy operating table, ball-gag in her mouth. Several booming voices appeared to come from all directions, some male, some female, "Go ahead, Max. Fix what you broke."

I stared at the scalpel in my hand, "No...no, please no…"

Chloe thrashed in fear on the table, screaming through her gag. Her bloodshot eyes looked wild, like a rabid animal.

Large, disembodied hands gripped mine, raising the scalpel into the air. The hands' long blackened nails embedded themselves into my arms, drawing blood.

I begged and pleaded, bursting into tears, "No! Please, don't do this!"

I fought back as hard as I could, but the arms were too strong.

The scalpel was placed in between Chloe's breasts, and it was viciously and violently dragged downward as a gurgle escaped her throat.

I bolted upright out of bed screaming, doused in a cold sweat.

Chloe instinctually screamed too, but then tried to comfort me. I punched and kicked and fought my way out of her grasp.

She flicked on the lights as I cowered in a corner.

Her breaths were rapid and shallow as she stared at me with wide eyes.

"W-w…...what happened?"

My stomach flipped upside down as a wave of nausea hit me.

Once again, David and Joyce burst into the room.

Chloe screamed, "Guys, help! Some-something's wrong!"

My heart was beating so fast that it hurt, leaving a sharp pain in my chest.

I spent the rest of that night in the emergency room, with Chloe by my side.


	7. Lost

Chapter 7: Lost

MAX:

The nightmares tormented me night after night. I spent a few days in a sleep deprived stupor. Horrible memories crashed down upon me like a house of cards.

These nightmares began to bleed over into my waking life, the flash of a camera would trigger memories of the dark room. The sound of a shower, and I'd be back in the storm. Every single loud sound, and I'd see Chloe...getting shot all over again.

I was exhausted, Chloe was exhausted, everybody was exhausted. My parents came down to Arcadia Bay to see me, understandably worried.

I'd spent the majority of my time in Chloe's room, and I hadn't been to school in several days. Chloe, my parents, and even David, struggled to keep me from wasting away. David recognized what I was feeling, and suggested I see a psychiatrist.

My startle response was off the charts, I'd go into fight or flight mode at the slightest provocation.

Following a severe panic attack, my parents had enough. They took me to a psychiatrist in Portland.

It was grueling. The psychiatrist, a balding heavier set man in his mid-forties, went by the name of Dr. Clark.

He asked me a plethora of questions for a little over three hours, and had me fill out a questionnaire. He was very certain of my condition.

His verdict: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

My treatment plan consisted of cognitive behavioral therapy and medication.

Chloe had also helped me self-medicate, allowing me to smoke some of her marijuana from time to time when my anxiety shot up.

Mom and Dad were perfectly okay with this, since it helped me a great deal.

My illness improved after a miraculously short time, though I'd still have the flashbacks on occasion. I'd snap out of them, and Chloe was always by my side.

My parents had to go back home to Seattle, and I remained in the care of Chloe and her family like an unofficial family member. Mom and Dad still made sure to constantly check on me.

Things got better, but shadows of terrible memories still lurked around every corner.

* * *

CHLOE:

I sat at my computer, mindlessly scrolling through web page after web page.

Max had learned to cope well enough that she'd returned to school.

And I thought _I_ was traumatized. She wouldn't talk about any of it, I learned more about what she went through as I flipped through random pages in her journal. Anybody else would just call her insane, but I wasn't just anybody else. I was her partner in time, and for all I knew...maybe I'd end up her partner for _all_ of time. That is if Rachel's out of the picture, or something. I scolded the shit out of myself for thinking that. How _could_ I think that?

' _Jesus...I can't believe she has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I guess she kinda knows what David had to go through now. Who knows? Maybe they'll bond over it in their own weird way."_

I hated to say or think it, but a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I didn't know how much longer I would've been able to cope with the situation, had it not improved.

I clicked on a month old link:

 _Former Blackwell teacher charged with multiple kidnappings, assault on police officer._

I couldn't bear to read it, so I turned the glass monitor off. My reflection stared back at me, and I looked like complete shit.

The undyed blonde roots of my tangled hair had become visible, and dark circles outlined my eyes. My face was pressed into a subtle involuntary frown. I hadn't slept very well in a while, but that wasn't going to stop me.

I was going to find Rachel, and the internet was my only source. The monitor flickered on again and I started by simply searching her name.

A few results came up: A dead social media account, and several missing persons reports.

I checked the social media account, and it was filled with nothing new. Pictures of her and I covered her page, right up until the point she disappeared.

This wasn't useful to me, so I went to the missing persons reports. Those weren't helpful either.

I cleared the search bar and entered something else, hands shaking: rachel amber dark room.

A single result came up, a news story reporting on Mark Jefferson and the dark room. The story itself yielded no answers, I grit my teeth in annoyance.

Max's journal sat by the side of the computer, collecting dust.

There had to be a page mentioning Rachel.

I combed through the journal and found more or less what I was looking for.

 _Chloe was so upset when we discovered that Rachel had actually been involved with…_

My heart sank down into oblivion, I just stared at it.

 _...Frank Bowers and she just blew up._

Muscles in my neck tensed up, causing my head to shake slightly. I slammed her journal shut and stood up, pacing around the room with my hands clasped behind my head. Rage bubbled up within me, and it overflowed. I punched the wall with a thud, screaming through clenched teeth. My hand shook following the impact, small lacerations on my knuckles oozed equally small amounts of blood. My fist struck the wall again. Several of my fingers were jammed, and skin peeled back from my knuckles. I wailed in agony, not for my hand, but for my soul.

I curled into a ball on the floor and erupted into a fit of sobbing. My body shook with every pained breath, tears forming a small puddle beneath my face. I sobbed until it hurt, leaving my head throbbing. It got to a point where I couldn't cry anymore, so I got up.

Frank, I needed to confront Frank.

I dialed his number after taking a few deep shaky breaths and wiping my puffy eyes. The phone rang once...twice...three times...

He finally answered, "What?"

My voice shook, "Frank, meet me at our beach spot, right now."

I hung up and threw my phone at the wall as hard as I could; it survived.

* * *

His RV was parked there on the lonely concrete slab surrounded by fine sand. Tire tracks led to it. He had erected a folding table, which he was seated at with his back to the door.

I stepped out of the truck onto the sand, shoes sinking an inch or two into it. I was bundled in a coat, my warm breath visible in the freezing air.

I walked up to it, and plopped myself down across from him as he ate a spoonful of steaming canned beans.

He inquired as he swallowed it, "What the fuck is this about, Price? Money? Drugs?"

As much as I wanted to scream at him, I knew it wasn't in my best interests if I wanted to find Rachel.

I let out a disdainful snort, "Rachel...it's about Rachel."

He subtly shrunk back, enough to notice, "Yeah, what about her?"

"I'm trying to find her."

"What's it to you?"

"What is _she_ to you?" I retorted with a tight-lipped smile.

He shook his head, tugging at the collar of his jacket, "You're barking up the wrong fucking tree."

"Look, I know you and Rachel had a thing going on. _I_ just need to know where she is."

He scowled, "It's none of your goddamn business."

I gulped, "Frank, remember the teacher they arrested on kidnapping charges a month ago?"

"Yes."

I closed my eyes for a moment, strained words rolled off my tongue, "Rachel was one of the victims."

"What? Bullshit!" A deep line appeared between his brows.

 _During the court case I'd had an urge to steal one of Rachel's dark room photos. It proved to be useful._

I pulled out the small folded image and slapped it on the table.

He glanced down at it, before narrowing his eyes at me, "What the fuck is this?"

"Open it."

His hands began to reach for the picture, but he pulled back, "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

I growled through clenched teeth, "Open the _fucking_ picture."

He opened it and immediately slouched, pressing his palm to his forehead.

"Frank...she's out there somewhere, alive."

No words escaped from his mouth, lines formed in his jaws as the muscles clenched.

"She's alive, and I'm going to find her."

He muttered, still looking down at the picture, "I'll _kill_ that son of a bitch."

I folded the picture back up and stuffed it into my pocket, "Look, Frank. If you care about Rachel, you'll help me."

He glared up at me and crossed his arms, "If I help you, what'll be in it for me?"

I blurted, before giving it any real thought, "If I find Rachel, she's all yours."

I slammed my palm into my forehead, ' _Jesus Christ, why did I say that?'_

"You don't seem very sure," he said, as his breath formed a cloud in the cold air.

I waved my hand in dismissal, "I'm _not_. I love her too, alright?"

His tone changed to a much calmer one, "Fine, I'll help you. But only for her, understand?"

I nodded.

He stood up and cleared his throat, "I don't know _exactly_ where she is. But I know what she's doing."

"And what would that be?"

A cigarette came from behind his ear. He lit it while speaking out of the side of his mouth, "I had a stash go missing around the time she disappeared, all signs point to her."

I pulled out my own cigarette, lighting it as my hands shielded it from the biting wind, "You think she sold it?"

He sighed, almost grinning, "She could sell dogshit and pass it off as chocolate. I have no doubt she was able to."

Clearing his throat, he uttered, "Not long before she disappeared, she was planning to run away with me to California."

His arms were thrown out to the sides, "What the fuck would I be doing in California?"

I stared at him, wide eyed, " _Wait._ She planned to go to California with _you?_ "

He almost rolled his eyes, "Yes, she did."

"She'd planned to go to California with _me,_ " I jerked a thumb towards myself.

He shrugged, before taking a hit of his cigarette, "Well, it looks like she went alone. I'm pretty sure that's where she is right now."

I dropped my shoulders, gazing skyward as I groaned, " _Fuuuuuuuck."_

"If I had to guess, I'd say she's in Los Angeles as we speak."

I chuckled very briefly, "Yeah, she probably has her name on the Hollywood walk of fame by now."

He nodded.

My eyes narrowed at him, "You were strangely...cooperative."

A scoff escaped his mouth as he flicked the cigarette onto the ground, "Yeah, don't count on it ever happening again."

He began to walk towards his RV, but he turned on his heel and stabbed a finger at me, "And you still owe me that fucking money."

I grinned, "Same old Frank."

He slammed the RV door behind himself, Pompidou's barks sounded from behind it.


	8. Found

Chapter 8: Found

MAX:

A sigh of relief escaped me as I dropped onto Chloe's warm, soft bed.

It had been a long day at school, but it had returned to normality more or less. As normal as it could've possibly been following the conviction of Mr. Jefferson, a well liked teacher.

Chloe lay beside me, equally exhausted, "So...how was school?"

I shrugged in bed, "It was meh. I'm just glad my flashbacks didn't act up."

Looking over at her, I noticed her tired eyes gazing back, "How was _your_ day?"

She chuckled, "Crazy, Max. Hella crazy."

I propped myself up on my elbows, "Really? What happened?"

She put her arms behind her head and rested on them, looking up at the ceiling, "I think I have a vague idea of where Rachel is."

My mouth was agape, "No shit, really?"

"Yeah, I'm almost positive she went to L.A."

Chloe cleared her throat, "Your journal...said that Rachel cheated on me with Frank."

Anxiety shot through my body, feeling like pins and needles, "Uh...I…"

"I'm not angry, Max. Matter of fact, I'm glad I know it now."

I relaxed my tensed body, "You are?"

She scratched her nose, "Yeah, because that provided me with a vital clue. I talked to Frank, and he told me Rachel is in California."

"You said she might be in Los Angeles?"

"Yeah, might be or _is."_

"Well, that narrows it down quite a bit."

She sighed, "Yeah, but not enough. Finding her will require some crazy fucking luck."

A large smile spread across my face, "Chloe, you and I are some of the luckiest people alive. We'll find her."

She smiled right back with a toothy grin, "Hell yes, Max. I love your optimism."

"So...how do you think Rachel would make ends meet in a city like that?"

She answered immediately, "She'd be selling drugs for sure, Frank told me that he had a stash go missing not long before Rachel disappeared."

That didn't leave a good feeling inside of me, dread's cold fingers tugged at my heart, "You don't think she could've been arrested, do you?"

Chloe stirred up out of bed wide eyed, "Holy shit, Max! That hadn't even occurred to me."

She grinned, "I think you just gave me an idea."

After a few moments, the infinite database that was the world wide web sat at our disposal.

Chloe's fingers flew across the keyboard, leaving a typoed mess in the search bar:

 _Califormia raxjel amber mugshit_

We both giggled simultaneously at it. I teased, "Slow down there, Cholé."

She shook with laughter, " _Cholé?_ That shit better not stick."

I smirked, "Olé, Cholé."

A smug grin came over her face, "Whatever, Maxi-pad."

"Ugh, you're never going to stop calling me that, are you?"

"It'll be our little joke. You can call me weird nicknames too, you know."

"Good, I'm going to start writing a list of every single one I come up with."

She stuck her tongue out at me, and started typing again, sans typos this time.

A single mouse-click on the image bar caused us to nearly shit ourselves.

There she was. _Rachel_ in a mugshot, smiling and photogenic. Hazel eyes staring back at us.

Chloe stared up at me, mouth agape, "That's...that's her."

I squinted as I read the caption beneath it, " _Young woman's mugshot earns..._ It cuts off right there."

She clicked on the link beneath the image, and a story came up.

 _Young woman's mugshot earns her the nickname 'Prison Bae'_

Chloe's shoulders dropped, "Holy fuck...She's a fucking _meme?"_

I kept reading the webpage, " _Rachel Amber's mugshot in Madera County, California garners an unexpected social media following."_

She wriggled in her seat, hardly able to still, "Where- Where's Madera County?"

I shrugged, "You're the one sitting at the computer, not me."

Her hands flew again as she pulled up an online map, searching for Madera County.

She almost typed 'Madera Cunty' but corrected herself with a chuckle.

The map appeared, showing a large highlighted area stretching from Fresno to Yosemite National Park.

I cleared my throat, "Look up women's prisons in Madera County."

She did, and a good result came up.

 _Central California Women's Facility_

"Hey just to be sure, I'm going to try one of those inmate locator fuck-a-majigs."

She pulled up the CDCR's website (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation), and found the inmate locator.

Rachel's last, first, and middle name (in that order) filled the search bar.

Sure enough, it told us she was at that women's facility.

Chloe jumped up from her seat and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me tight, "Max, you little fucking genius, you!"

I strained, "I...can't...breathe…"

She released me, "Shit, sorry. I'm just so _fucking_ happy right now!"

A smile appeared on my face, "I'm glad, Chloe. I'm glad."

"When do you get off for Thanksgiving break?" She jumped up and down.

"Uh, I get out on the 22nd. Why?"

She put her hands on my shoulders, staring into my eyes, "Because, Max. You're going to California with me."

* * *

CHLOE:

The day I'd so eagerly waited for finally came.

Max had gotten out on Thanksgiving break and we were about to go to California together.

It didn't matter to me that the weather wasn't exactly ideal, there was a severe thunderstorm warning and it was raining steadily. But we were leaving that day, and waiting any longer would've probably made me lose my shit. Max was just as eager to go.

Tiny droplets of rain tickled my face as I stepped outside my house, grey sky overhead.

The light rain had coated everything in a thin layer of moisture. Light reflected off of small puddles and other wet objects.

I threw our things in the back of my truck and covered them with a tarp. I'd made a little money from Frank, after running a few 'errands' for him.

My preparation was done, so I went inside and looked for Max.

She was sitting on the couch dressed in a gray coat and ready to go, watching the weather reports as I came up beside her.

A single blue streak of hair stood out in her signature bangs. It was actually her idea to do it, but I did the dyeing for her. She seemed to like it, and it suited her well.

"Ready, Max?" I asked as I sat next to her.

She glanced over at me before returning her gaze to the TV screen, "Yeah, just looking at the forecast. It's supposed to rain harder later."

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah."

My mom had already made us breakfast, so we were good to go as far as food went.

I grabbed a blue umbrella that sat on the coffee table in front of us, getting up as I did so.

"Hey, mom! We're leaving," I called upstairs.

She came down the stairs, grabbing me in a big ol' hug, "Be careful out there, Chloe."

David was still in bed, but I didn't care.

She whispered in my ear, "And take good care of Max, will you?"

I whispered back, "She's in good hands, mom."

Max came over and they hugged each other, "Thank you, Joyce. You've been very kind to me."

Joyce smiled from ear to ear, "Of course! In my eyes, you're family."

They released each other and Max met me by the door.

"Love you, Mom. We'll call you in a few hours."

"Okay, be safe and have fun, girls!"

I hadn't told my mom the whole truth about why we were going to California, she didn't know we'd found Rachel.

I turned to Max, "Do you think you'll be able do it?"

Her neck moved visibly as she gulped, "I think so."

Rain still really bothered Max, triggering memories of the storm she'd experienced. I guess I'd experienced it too, a different me. I wondered what she would've been doing at that time.

"I'll be helping you, don't worry."

She grasped my hand as I opened the door, putting the umbrella above our heads.

Her hand squeezed mine tighter and went a little clammy, I made sure to hurry so she didn't get too uncomfortable.

I opened her door and she got in first; I closed the umbrella as I got in second.

We had a long drive ahead of us, around 800 miles.

The truck rumbled to life and we set off, Max opened a book and began to read it.

I glanced over at her book, "Whatcha reading?"

"Huh? Oh, _The Outsiders."_

"Nice...stay gold, ponyboy."

She tilted her head, "What's that?"

"Oh, you haven't gotten to that part yet."

"No, I _literally_ started reading it. Like, just now."

I grinned, "I won't spoil it for you."

The windshield wipers squelched as they went back and forth, clearing the rain.

It was starting to pick up now, my windshield wipers went at full speed.

Max cleared her throat, "I heard that the author was only 15 when she started writing this book."

"Yeah...I'll let you in on a little secret, but you _cannot_ tell anybody."

She closed the book for a moment, saving her spot with her thumb, "I won't, I promise. What is it?"

I stared straight ahead at the road, rain pelting the windshield, "A few years ago I had a fanfiction phase, and I tried to write some."

Surprise rang throughout her voice, "Holy shit, really? You don't seem much like the fanfiction 'type.'"

I chuckled, "Oh, believe me. I found that out _hella_ quick. I wrote some cringy shit."

"Now you have to show it to me, _all_ of it."

"Don't push your luck, Maxi-pad."

She shook her head with a chuckle and went back to reading.

* * *

Max wasn't really the super talkative type, and neither was I.

She alternated between reading her book and staring out her window.

The rain had died down to sprinkling, to her relief.

We'd been on the move for a little over an hour, and we were passing through a little town called Happy Hollow.

You could hardly call it a town, it seemed more like a village.

* * *

My truck guzzled the shit out gas, so we needed to stop for some.

I had no idea where the fuck we were because my phone had no signal. It was some middle of nowhere truck stop with some seedy looking motherfuckers hanging around it.

Max stayed in the truck as I went in and payed the attendant. These guys, who looked like they hung around at crackhouses, catcalled the hell out of me.

I ignored them as I pumped gas, but they did not cease staring at me. One of them began to approach me as I got in my truck. I don't think I've ever moved that fast in my life; I jammed the accelerator and we were out of there.

"Woah, Chloe. What was that about?"

My heart was still pounding, "I think I just evaded getting kidnapped or something."

She didn't say anything.

"Oh shit, sorry. I know you don't like that word."

"What, kidnapped? It doesn't exactly evoke good memories, no."

She sighed, "Sorry for being such a fucking downer, I still haven't learned to forget yet."

I changed gears, pushing the clutch in as I sang a tune, "Don't youuuu...forget about me..."

I had always liked Max's laughter, it was the kind of laughter that could bring you out of the darkest places.

We both laughed and sang that tune together.

* * *

We crossed over into California, stopping in a little town called Weed.

Max and I had a good, long laugh about that one.

We weren't making as much progress as I would've liked to, since we were stopping a lot and for long periods of time. It was worth it though, Max and I were growing even closer, and she was talking more.

We cracked a lot of jokes, and when she came out of her shell, she was just a complete bundle of fun. But in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think of Rachel...I wanted to see her, but I was _furious_ at her simultaneously.

It was late, and dark. So I found us a cheap, yet fairly nice motel to stay the night in.

There were two beds in there, but one of them remained un-slept in that night.


	9. Relief

Chapter 9: Nerves

MAX:

That was the first night in a while where I didn't have a nightmare. I woke up pressed against Chloe's warm body. Her tattooed arm was draped over me, blanket separating it from direct touch.

The smell of her cherry blossom shampoo gently wafted into my nostrils. I didn't detect any hints of cigarette smoke, she actually hadn't been smoking recently.

I was sensing that Chloe was beginning to let go of Rachel. I guess I should've been happy, but I felt like I was stealing her away. This left me with a burning sense of guilt.

It was pitch black in there, so I flicked on a lamp.

I lifted her arm off of myself, feeling the pressure of a full bladder, so I got out of bed and she woke up too.

She mumbled, half asleep, "Hey, where are you going?"

"The bathroom," I went in and did my business.

I came back out to find Chloe had knocked out again, the time on the bedside digital clock read: **4:17 A.M.**

I lay back down beside her and draped _my_ arm around her beneath the blanket, pulling us closer, sharing our warmth.

* * *

 _Max...Max...wake up…_

She tickled my nose with something that felt like a feather.

I slapped myself in the face and yelped out of surprise.

"Sorry! I just wanted you to wake up," she'd tickled me with a makeup brush.

My voice was muffled because I put the pillow over my face, "What time is it?"

"Time for you to wake up, that's what time it is."

I groaned, "Five more minutes, pleaaaaase."

"Fine, five minutes and your skinny white ass is out of that bed."

I kept the pillow over my face, "You're one to talk, being skinny and white."

About five minutes passed, and I got up without her needing to remind me.

I opened my eyes, pupils dilating at the light that filled the room.

I read the clock as I popped my anti-anxiety pills: **11:32 A.M.**

"Holy shit, I slept for a long time. Didn't I?"

She grinned as she sat on the edge of the bed in her sleep attire, which consisted of a shirt a few sizes too large and old shorts, "So did I. I only woke up a few minutes before you did...you hungry?"

My stomach growled a well timed growl, she heard it and grinned, "I'll take that as a yes."

We got ready and left, finding a breakfast burrito place to eat at.

Hands down the best breakfast burritos I've ever eaten. Sorry, Joyce.

As we drove, I held my camera in my lap with Chloe at the wheel. Chloe had given it to me a long time ago, William's old camera. It was a late birthday gift, but a fantastic one.

The flash of the camera made me flinch, even though I was expecting it.

She jumped too, "Woah! That scared the shit out of me."

The picture caught her face mid-startle with her mouth wide open and eyes partially shut.

She chuckled, "What the hell, Max? What have you been learning in photography class?"

"How to take hilarious pictures of you, of course."

I used that picture as a bookmark during the time I read _The Outsiders._

* * *

Anxious heartbeats pounded within me as I twirled my streak of blue hair around my fingers.

A question burned inside of me, leaving a horrific aching feeling within my gut. I didn't want to ask, but I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to fend off this sense of guilt and anxiety.

Chloe was at the wheel, intently focused on the road. Redwood trees towered over us in all directions.

Before I could stop myself I blurted, "Do you still love Rachel?"

I immediately tried to rewind as my heart fluttered out of my chest, but I dropped my arm, remembering the futility of trying to.

The truck began to slow down as a car behind us rode our ass. She pulled over onto the side of the road, and shifted into neutral, foot on the brake.

She stared down at the floorboards of the truck, wide eyed..

Stuttering escaped her mouth as she tried to formulate a response, "I...wh...I don't know."

I pulled my legs up onto the seat, burying my head in them, "I'm so sorry, Chloe. I-I don't know why I asked."

Cars blew past us as she gawked at me.

Her eyes went wide as if she'd come to a sudden realization, she pulled her beanie off and held it on her lap.

"Holy shit…...I _don't_ know…"

"Chloe...I'm sorry I-"

She interrupted me, waving her hand in annoyance, "No, Max. I mean...I don't _know_ anymore, she hurt me. I feel like she threw me away, like a piece of trash."

A sniffle escaped her nostrils as her eyes welled up, "She cheated on me, with _Frank_ of all people. I-I don't know if I'll ever be able to get past that."

Tears rolled down her face, and I wiped them for her with some napkins we had in the glovebox. The magnum revolver was no longer in there, Chloe gave it back to David of her own accord, even _apologizing_ for doing it. Chloe had changed so much in the time I'd spent with her, and I'd changed a lot too.

I patted her cheeks, drying them of tears, "Do you still want to go see her?"

She took in a deep breath and exhaled, looking rather cheerless, "Yes, I still need to see her."

"I'm sorry, I _really_ didn't mean to ask you that…"

"Quit apologizing," she tried to grin and failed, "Max, the past few months I've spent with you are the best I've had in a long time. I hope you feel the same way."

Her hand reached for mine, pulling me closer to her as I leaned my head on her shoulder, "These past few months have been magical, Chloe."

We set off again, making it to Sacramento by nightfall.


	10. Us

Chapter 10: Us

CHLOE:

I stood in the shower, staring down at my feet. Warm water poured down from my hair, covering my face like a curtain.

My hands shook as I ran them through my hair, this would be the day.

The day I was going to see Rachel again.

Water trickled over my mouth and I blew it away, stepping out of the shower onto the cold tile floor.

I'd brought my favorite pirate towel, with its skull and crossbones. I dried and wrapped myself in it, getting out of the bathroom and shivering at the change of temperature.

Max sat on the bed, folded towel and clothing by her side. I saw her cheeks turn a deep rose color as I stepped out.

I smirked, "You gonna take a shower, or just stare at me?"

She snapped out of it, blushing even harder, "Y-Yeah, I'm gonna take a shower."

She grabbed her shower stuff and went in, locking the door behind her.

I heard the water begin to run as I started changing.

The motel room was fairly cramped, having only one bed this time. An obsolete TV set stood on a small table at the very front of the room. Earlier that morning I tried to turn it on. It wouldn't, not even after I made sure it was plugged in.

She got out of the shower, already dressed. Complete with her plain grey hoodie and skinny jeans.

She dried her hair, making it messy as she did.

"So, what do you feel like having for breakfast?" I asked, plopping down on the bed.

She chuckled, "I have a weird craving for cereal right now...I'm being totally cereal."

"Cereal, huh?" I raised an eyebrow, "That'll do."

We ate some bomb ass cereal that morning.

* * *

 **Chowchilla**

 **CITY LIMIT**

 **POP 17,827 ELEV 237**

The main road was lined with palm trees on both sides as a cloudless sky hung over us, small shops and buildings stood amongst those trees.

As we were moving, my door was making a weird rattling sound.

"Oh shit, I left my door open," I pushed it outwards and slammed it shut with a grunt.

Max shut her book, "So...this is Chowchilla."

I looked around at our surroundings, "Yeah...quaint…"

She scratched her head, "At first glance, you wouldn't really be able to know this is a prison town."

A few minutes later, I turned onto a road that went into a large, flat grassy area. Not a single tree was in sight as we drove through the dull green field.

I pointed at the horizon as two large structures came into view, sitting side by side "That's it up there...the one on the right…"

The realization struck me... _Rachel was in there._

Anxiety shot through me, leaving me feeling weak, "Oh fuck…"

"Are you okay?"

My breathing sped up, nearing the point of hyperventilation, "I-I...Jesus, Max. I'm scared."

"We don't have to do this, Chloe."

I shook my head, "No, we do... _I do…_ "

We continued to barrel towards the prison, finally arriving at its gates.

* * *

Well, we got shut the fuck down, _real_ quick.

I wasn't going to see Rachel that day...or ever.

In our haste, we'd forgotten to fill out all the necessary forms and background checks.

I felt like a complete sack of shit for feeling this way, but I was relieved. I'd come to the realization that I _didn't_ want to see Rachel.

"Max..." I muttered, glancing over to her as the facility grew smaller behind us.

She looked over at me, frowning, "Sorry we couldn't see her, Chloe."

I gulped, "I don't want to see her anymore."

Her jaw dropped, "Really?"

"Yeah...I think I'm done...I won't be able to forgive her."

We sat in silence, tension building up within me like a wound-up spring, "I can't imagine what she went through...in the dark room. Shit, I guess I can't blame her for running away...It's the Frank shit I'm caught up on."

Tears flooded my eyes, "Her and I are through because of that, I've been giving it a lot of thought."

Her voice shook with sadness, "Chloe...I'm so sorry. I feel like I did this. I should have stopped her from going to prison."

I clenched my teeth, warm salty tears ran down my cheeks, "You know what, Max? _Fuck you_."

She shrunk back in her seat, face contorting with grief and near tears.

I stabbed a finger at her, spitting, "Fuck you for thinking this is your fault, because it isn't! You _saved_ her, she's fucking alive for fucks sake!"

The truck stalled with a lurch as I pulled over, "You saved her, me, _everybody!_ Yet you still think this is _your_ fault."

I pointed to myself with both hands, "News flash, Max. It isn't...it's _my_ fault _."_

" _I did this to her!"_

Wide, fearful eyes stared back at mine, "W-What are you talking about?"

I stuttered, "I'm talking about how…I…uh..."

She wiped her eyes, "Chloe, this isn't your fault either. It's nobody's fault."

I glowered, "How the fuck _isn't_ it my fault?"

A hint of annoyance sounded in her voice, " _Because,_ Chloe! You couldn't have done a single _fucking_ thing about it!"

Shit, she was right...I couldn't have.

I sighed, "Max, I hate arguing with you."

I turned on the truck and we began to roll again, remaining silent for the rest of the drive.


	11. Her

MAX:

We left Chowchilla and headed for Sacramento again, making it there by dusk.

Chloe remained in a somber mood for the rest of that day, we went to bed without hardly uttering a word to each other. Yet she still held me close, her warm half-naked body against mine.

I awoke in the middle of the night to her sobs, shaking me with every tormented breath.

"Chloe?"

She muttered in between sobs, "What?"

"I'll always be here for you."

"I know."

Her sobbing slowed to sniffling, then ceased altogether.

She muttered, barely audible, "This has been a fucked up day, Max."

"Fucked up beyond all repair," I agreed

She shifted, letting go of me for a moment as she flicked on a bedside lamp. Both of us winced as warm light flooded the room. She lay back down and stared up at the ceiling.

"I'm glad you're here," she said, wiping her tears.

"I'm glad to be here, Chloe."

I heard her gulp, "Max, I have a confession to make...I've had a crush on you for as long as I can remember."

She turned her head to me and our eyes met as I grinned from ear to ear, "It's about time…"

"Huh?" She raised an eyebrow.

"It's about time you told me that, because it's safe to say that I feel the same way...sorry, I didn't mean to rhyme."

Chloe let out a chuckle, "Busta Rhymes over here…"

She continued, grinning, "So, you really feel that way?"

"Of course I do, you're my partner in crime and time..."

I took in a deep breath, "...I'm never leaving your side again. I need you."

She smiled, "I need you too. I couldn't have ever done this without you...you've brought me a sense of closure."

I gulped, "I love you, Chloe."

She went wide eyed, "I…...love you too, Max."

A pause ensued, tension building as we gazed into each other's blue eyes.

I leaned in, pressing my lips against hers, getting a little taste. She embraced it, wrapping her arms around my body, pulling me closer as our tongues entered each other's mouths. Warm euphoria flowed through my body the entire time, leaving me in heaven. Before I knew it, she was on top of me, removing her bra and revealing her perky breasts. Then she removed my bra, running her hands over mine.

Needless to say, we did a lot more than just kiss that night.

* * *

Chloe, my _girlfriend..._ man, I loved saying that. I had a _girlfriend_ now. Perhaps this was all a bit rushed, her having just concluded she was through with Rachel. I think she was in desperate need of affection, loneliness had overwhelmed her in the period after Rachel's disappearance. She needed somebody to love, and she gladly accepted me.

I lay beside her as she snoozed, the lamp she'd left on still poured warm light all-throughout the small motel room.

I didn't bother to cover myself, my nude body lay sprawled on the bed.

She'd really tired herself out, she was sleeping like a dead person...or formerly dead person. I didn't blame her, it was intense for both of us, and she wasn't covered in the sheets either. I spent a long time admiring her body, before I finally drifted off, spooning with her.

Chloe, being the dominant one, ended up as the big spoon.

* * *

"So, San Francisco is a little less than an hour and a half from here," said Chloe, as she glanced down at her phone.

We stood outside our motel room, the smell of fresh rain filled the air, with the overcast sky above us. I stared down at the cracked asphalt of the parking lot, looking at my reflection staring back at me in a puddle.

She continued, "You know what'd be badass?"

I glanced sideways at her, getting suspicious, "What?"

"Going to see Alcatraz."

"Uh...we were just at a prison..."

She chuckled, scrolling through her phone, "I know, but that place is supposedly haunted. I want to see that shit for myself."

I scratched my head, "I don't know, Chloe. Can't we do something else, something...I dunno, less scary?"

She tilted her head, " _You_? Scared? Dude, you travelled through fucking _time._ "

I groaned, "Fine, we'll see about it then."

Chloe jumped up in excitement, "Hell yes! Trust me, it'll be cool!"

We spent the rest of that week touring San Francisco. For our Thanksgiving dinner, we ate seafood at the Pier Market.

But we never did go to Alcatraz, it wasn't exactly the best place for what turned into a romantic getaway.

* * *

CHLOE:

I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel of my truck, parked in front of Blackhell's front entrance. My heart was in my throat and I was truly nervous. I felt for the small box that sat in my shirt pocket, feeling that it was still there. Any minute now...any minute now and Max would come through those doors, stepping into another life.

A life with me.

I examined my own clothing, which weren't formal by any means. I was in the usual distressed jeans with white band shirt. It wasn't really important though, Max wouldn't be in any type of formal clothing either. Shit, only one more year until I could legally get my hands on alcohol, my 20th birthday had passed a few months prior. I really felt like I needed some liquid courage.

My leg bounced as I eyed her stepping through those doors, seeming to pause for a moment, as if to say goodbye to the school that had helped her secure a spot in college.

I know for damn sure that when I stepped out of those doors myself, having _not_ graduated, I did not pause to say 'goodbye' to it.

She opened the truck door and got in, smiling at me.

Her hair had grown a bit, the blue streak was still in her bangs, and it now hung down slightly past her shoulders. She still wore her usual hipster clothes with those generic jeans.

"Hey, babe," I smiled as I leaned in to plant a kiss on her lips, which she gladly reciprocated.

I continued, "How's your tattoo healing?"

She rolled up a sleeve and showed it to me, uncovered by any sterile dressings, "Doing well, It's looking really good."

I lined up my previously untattooed arm near hers, eyeing the identical tattoos that sat below our wrists.

"I told you an ouroboros'd make a badass tattoo," our tattoos had a symmetrical bright blue butterfly in the very center.

She dropped her arm and sighed, "Wowser, I just graduated high school."

My voice rose with cheeriness, "Yeah, I know! How does it feel to be in the real world now?"

"It feels _fantastic!_ Now I can do anything I want!"

She cleared her throat, "So, you said you wanted to show me something?"

I took in a deep breath, "Yeah, I think you're gonna like it."

She glanced at me sideways, "You're...acting differently."

My mind raced as I came up with an excuse, "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just thinking about uh, what we've been through, you know?"

She grinned, "We've been through a lot, Chloe."

A quote from her journal flashed through my mind, ' _We've been through so much together and we might go through more, depending on how this all ends, either in Heaven or Hella. Sorry, I couldn't resist.'_

No, none of this 'we might go through more' shit. We _will_ go through more.

The truck began to roll; a destination stood in my mind: the lighthouse...perfect.

"Where are we going?"

With a smug grin I said, "It's a surprise, patience is a virtue."

"Yep, I called it. You _are_ acting differently."

* * *

We rolled through the sleepy little fishing town that was Arcadia Bay. I eyed the lighthouse in the distance, standing tall above all else. The traffic had been really heavy the whole drive there, since school was out and everybody was flipping their shit over it.

Max couldn't notice it, but my hands were shaking. I white-knuckle gripped the steering wheel so she wouldn't see it.

The buildings on the main road came to an end as I turned onto a small dirt trail.

She recognized where we were going, "We're going to the lighthouse, aren't we?"

"You bet we are, Super Max."

She narrowed her eyes, "Why?"

"Like I said, patience is a virtue."

After the short drive up the wooded trail, I stopped about a football field away from the lighthouse.

I got out of the truck and opened the door for her, "After you, beautiful."

In a posh and poorly executed British accent she said, "Thank you, Madame."

I chuckled, "You silly ass."

We held hands as we walked towards the lighthouse, her hands felt very warm. A stark contrast to when she first grabbed me outside of that bathroom, the one she'd saved my life from.

We looked out over the Bay, the setting sun covered everything in a brilliant orange glow, reflecting off of the glass-like ocean. The clouds above us were painted in several hues of orange and red. A gentle brew blew leaves around us, crunching under our feet.

My heart fluttered in my chest, and I felt my hands begin to sweat. I gently pulled out of holding her hand before she noticed it.

She crossed her arms, but she was smiling, "So, what's the surprise?"

' _Now or never, Chloe. Do it.'_

"Max Caulfield," I dropped down on one knee, pulling out the small black box that sat in my shirt pocket.

I flicked the box open and held it to her, revealing a beautiful diamond ring. Light reflected off of the precious stone that sat upon it.

"Will you spend the rest of your life with me?"

Her eyes crinkled from the gigantic smile that shined on her freckled face. She put her hands over her mouth, as tears of joy ran down her rosy cheeks.

She jumped up and down, almost screaming "Yes! Yes, I will!"

I slid the ring onto her slender finger, fitting it perfectly.

She was still ecstatic, "How...how did you afford this?"

"I have connections," I leaned in and our lips met, sealing the deal.

It was done, the person I loved would always be with me.

Max Price-Caulfield, partner in time, crime…

 _...And my partner for all of time._


End file.
